ilifornia 

ional 

lity 


LACED  AND  DEVELOPED 


CARL  PREETOH 


LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF 
CAUFOHNIA 

SAN 


THE  UNIVERSITY  LIBRARY 

""'MA   SAN  BIEGO 
LA  JOLLA  CALIFORNIA 


The  Tone 


Placed  and  Developed 


By  CARL  PREETORIUS 


CHICAGO: 

FAULKNER-RYAN  Co. 
1907 


COPYRIGHT,  1907 
BY  CARL  PBKETOBIUS 


JOSEPH    F.    SHEEHAN 
OPERA    CO. 


a    ^>          . 
7  ^  •Wc< 


^a-^^u^esus 


«-*>^&4&  u/Z*Lr~ 


X"      " 
^t^-ex . 


T^ZZs 


<^<->Zt 


^M^-SZL^X^^ 

7-—-z>-z_-  £Z>t4^a*25^4r,   <^?&s 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

Preface 5 

I     Introductory — Scientific  Analysis  of  Sound 

Waves 11 

II     Analysis  of  Tone.    What  Tone  Is.    Acoustic 

Properties 17 

III     The  Value  and  Training  of  the  Ear     .      .     31 

V  The  Placement  of  Tone — (a)  Value  of  the 
Lips,  (b)  Training  of  the  Lips,  (c)  How 
This  Affects  Tone,  (d)  Vocalizing  Breath. 
(e)  Development  of  Tone.  (/)  The 
Rounding  of  Tone,  (g)  The  Different 
Tonal  Qualities  and  Syllables  to  Effect 
These 35 

V  Timbre  and  Quality — Division  of  the  Voices  57 

VI  Assimilation  of  the  Voice 61 

VII  Crescendo  and  Diminuendo 77 

VIII  Vibrato       83 

IX  Portamento 85 

X  Coloratura 85 

XI  SottoVoce 87 

XII  Trill 97 

XIII  Wordal  Placement   .                                         .  101 


PREFACE. 

Much  has  been  said  of  the  old  Italian 
method  of  singing.  The  musical  quality  of  the 
language  and  its  adaptability  for  the  ready  ex- 
pression of  the  vocalist  is  freely  acknowledged. 
Still,  the  fundamental  reason  why  the  old 
Italians,  preferably  to  the  other  nationalities, 
came  to  be  called  the  maestros  is  to  a  great 
extent  overlooked.  The  Italians,  they  say, 
possessed  the  natural  way  of  singing,  but  just 
how  their  maestros  could  bring  about  this 
natural  production  of  tone,  I  have  nowhere  in 
the  limited  literature  of  the  vocal  art  found 
fully  explained. 

Mercadante  was,  perhaps,  one  of  the  most 
famous  maestros  of  this  old  Italian  school. 
The  method  which  he  followed  in  his  teaching 
was  imparted  to  his  pupils  in  their  lesson 
hours.  No  written  formulas  were  put  into 
their  hands,  and  it  depended  entirely  again  on 
these  to  transmit  his  knowledge  to  the  next 
generation.  The  most  promising  pupil  of 
Mercadante,  who  possessed  the  greatest  pos- 
sibilities for  teaching  and  handing  down  his 
ideas,  was  Vincenzio  Cirillo.  Cirillo  had  re- 


ceived,  at  a  very  young  age,  a  thoro  train- 
ing in  the  conservatories  of  Italy.  Coming 
under  the  influence  of  Mercadante,  he  turned 
his  attention  away  from  the  instrumental  to 
the  vocal  field.  His  musicianship  and  thoro 
understanding  of  the  vocal  art  were  fully 
acknowledged  by  men  of  and  outside  of  the 
vocal  world.  Both  his  intimate  friendship 
with  Longfellow,  with  whom  he  collaborated 
in  setting  his  poems  to  music,  and  the  high 
regard  in  which  he  was  held  by  such  singers 
as  Campanini,  Tamagno,  Del  Puente  and  Brig- 
noli,  were  sufficient  evidences  of  the  recog- 
nition of  his  ability.  Cirillo  possessed  a  clear, 
active  mind  and,  with  the  aid  of  a  well  devel- 
oped bass  voice  of  great  beauty,  he  was  a  splen- 
did exponent  of  the  method  of  the  old 
maestros. 

When  he  was  at  his  prime  as  a  teacher  and 
composer  of  vocal  music,  Cirillo  came  to  this 
country.  It  was  at  this  time  that  Mrs.  J.  P. 
Brown,  of  Boston,  came  under  his  instruction. 
Her  natural  musical  ability  and  brilliant  voice 
immediately  attracted  his  attention.  He  gave 
her  the  benefit  of  his  best  knowledge,  in  order 
to  fit  her  in  every  way  for  an  operatic  career. 
Before  her  nine  years  of  training  were  at  an 
end  she  had  been  engaged  for  grand  opera, 
but  her  sudden  marriage  at  this  time  made  her 
public  career  impossible.  The  remaining  years 

6 


of  her  training  were  then  spent  in  preparation 
for  carrying  on  Cirillo's  work. 

It  was  thru  this  line  of  traditional  teach- 
ing that  she  inherited  the  correct  idea  of 
natural  singing.  It  happened,  too,  that  the 
idea  which  had  been  handed  down  so  clearly 
escaped  the  more  modern  fad  of  teaching 
"breathing."  In  regard  to  this,  Cirillo  told  the 
story  of  how  Mercadante  answered  the  inquiry 
of  an  ambitious  applicant  when  he  asked,  "Do 
you  not  teach  me  how  to  breathe?"  at  which 
the  maestro  exclaimed,  "Mio  Dio,  if  God  has 
not  taught  you  how  to  breathe  it  is  time  you 
were  buried!" 

As  soon  as  I  came  in  contact  with  this  idea 
I  realized  that  it  was  the  true  one  of  natural 
singing.  After  some  years  of  study  under 
Mrs.  Brown  and  of  original  research, 'I  have 
analyzed  and  put  the  idea  to  a  scientific  test 
thru  the  laws  of  sound  as  we  know  them,  but 
as  they  have  never  been  applied  to  singing,  and 
to  a  second  test,  which  may  be  called  the  aural 

test. 

The  old  Italians  found  that  in  teaching  for- 
eigners the  art  of  song  they  encountered  many 
difficulties.  These  difficulties  became  more 
apparent  when  they  tried  to  teach  the  for- 
eigner, especially  the  English-speaking  pupil, 
in  his  native  tongue.  The  difficulties  here  re- 
sulted from  crudely  combined  syllables  which 

7 


the  English  people  used  to  express  the  vigor- 
ous, aggressive  spirit  of  their  environment. 
For  many  generations  they  had  grown  more 
and  more  commercial,  while  the  Italians  had 
become  more  and  more  artistic.  The  Italian 
language  itself  had  undergone  a  radical  change 
from  the  time  of  the  sturdy,  hard-fighting 
Romans  to  the  time  when  artistic  development 
demanded  a  more  easy-flowing  combination  of 
syllables,  for  the  Italians  had  become  dreamers 
instead  of  fighters. 

It  was  thus  that  the  consonants  and  vowels 
gradually  re-combined  themselves  in  such  a 
way  that  they  fell  easily  and  musically  from 
the  lips.  To  re-quote  from  Henderson's  quo- 
tation in  his  "The  Art  of  the  Singer,"  the  San- 
scrit proverb  says,  "Be  sparing  with  the  vow- 
els and  you  will  speak  beautifully;  honor  the 
consonants  and  you  will  speak  distinctly." 
Thus  it  is  that  the  consonants  first  lead  the 
vowels  to  their  true  sounds.  So  to-day,  when 
the  Italian  artist  sings  his  language,  the 
vowels  flow  out  freely  in  a  rythmical  swing, 
for  the  lips  have  long  been  trained  to  the 
proper  production  of  tone. 

The  maestros,  then,  in  teaching  the  English- 
speaking  foreigners,  worked  along  the  line  of 
least  resistance.  He  taught  the  art  of  song 
thru  his  own  Italian  language,  and  trained 
his  pupil's  ear  to  the  tone-forms  as  he  knew 


them  in  his  native  tongue.  He  then  endeav- 
ored to  translate  these  tonal  forms  into  the 
English  language.  This  method  was  only  par- 
tially successful,  for,  in  teaching  his  pupils  to 
produce  tone  with  the  Italian  syllables  and 
words,  he  could  not,  with  but  few  exceptions, 
teach  them  how  to  produce  musical  tones  with 
the  use  of  consonants  and  vowels  as  they  are 
arranged  in  English  words.  Singing  and 
speaking  the  Italian  language  musically  has 
come  to  those  only  who  have  been  born  there 
or  who  have  lived  there  and  caught  its  real 
spirit. 

In  order  to  understand  why  the  old  Italians 
were  so  successful  in  their  production  of  tone, 
I  made  a  thoro  aural  and  scientific  analysis 
of  musical  sounds  as  created  by  the  voice. 
This  brought  me  directly  to  the  language  of 
sound  as  science  understands  it,  for  science 
understands  sound  equally  well  in  English  as 
in  Italian.  No  matter  how  musical  or  un- 
musical the  spirit  of  any  nation  may  be,  science 
must  recognize  all  sound  from  its  element  to 
its  roundest,  fullest  form,  whether  it  comes 
from  the  violin,  pipe-organ  or  the  human  voice. 
Certain  combinations  in  the  English  language 
gave  me  the  same  results  that  came  from 
certain  combinations  in  the  Italian.  Follow- 
ing out  the  scientific  analysis  of  sound,  I  found 
that  all  tones,  from  the  keenest  to  the  round- 

9 


est,  could  be  expressed  similarly  in  both  lan- 
guages. There  seemed  to  be  a  common  alpha- 
bet of  sound.  But  the  Italians  had  built  their 
language  nearest  the  lines  of  the  easiest  pro- 
duction of  tone.  The  English  had  strayed 
farther  away  from  it. 

In  the  following  pages  I  have  transferred 
the  idea  of  the  famous  old  maestros,  as  applied 
to  their  own  language,  to  the  language  of  the 
English-speaking  people.  If  the  earnest  stu- 
dent assimilates  and  applies  the  principles 
which  have  been  presented,  he  cannot  help  but 
develop  all  the  requisites  necessary  for  the 
production  of  beautiful  tone. 

CARL  PREETORIUS. 


10 


Introductory. 

Scientific   Analysis    of 

Sound   Waves. 

Air  vibrations  of  sound,  when  unimpeded, 
vibrate  in  spherical  waves  from  the  point  of 
disturbance  as  a  center.  The  action  of  sound 
waves  in  the  air  is  roughly  illustrated  by  the 
spreading,  circular  waves  on  the  surface  of 
placid  water  when  a  pebble  is  cast  into  it. 
Altho  sound  is  produced  as  a  result  of  vibra- 
tions in  the  air,  all  vibrations  produced  in  the 
air  do  not  necessarily  produce  sound.  For 
sound  does  not  depend  alone  on  the  mere 
vibration,  but  on  the  length,  amplitude  (depth) 
and  form  of  the  vibration.  Sound  can  only 
result  when  the  vibrations  have  certain  length, 
amplitude  and  form.  When  light  and  heat  are 
transmitted  by  air  we  have  vibrations  of  light 
and  heat.  Every  movement  of  our  bodies 
causes  some  vibration  in  the  air.  It  is,  there- 
fore, the  character  of  the  air  wave  that  deter- 
mines whether  it  affects  the  eye  as  light,  the 
body  as  heat  or  the  ear  as  sound. 

For  the  benefit  of  those  who  desire  to  under- 
11 


stand  the  science  of  the  transmission  of  sound, 
I  insert  the  following  illustrative  figures  of 
wave  motion  in  water.  Wave  motion,  or 
vibration,  in  air  and  in  water  is  the  same,  with 
the  exception  that  in  air  waves  the  motion 
travels  to  all  sides,  i.  e.,  spherically. 


Fig.  1. 
Fig.  1  shows  the  particles  of  water  at  rest. 


Fig.  2. 

Fig.  2  shows  the  particles  raised  and  de- 
pressed and  in  a  single  wave  motion.    The  line 
A,  B,  C,  D,  E  is  the  form  of  the  wave. 
The  straight  line,  A,  E,  is  the  length. 
The  line  B,  F,  as  also  G,  D,  is  the  amplitude, 
or  depth. 

Similarly  a  sound  wave  also  has  three  char- 
acteristics: 

(1.)     Form. 
(2.)     Length. 
(3.)     Amplitude 
12 


The  Form  determines  the  Quality  and  also 
the  Timbre  of  the  sound. 

'  The  Length  determines  the  Pitch. 

The  Amplitude  determines  the  Intensity  or 
Carrying  Power. 


(soft  tone) 


(loud  tone) 


B 
(still  louder  tone) 


Fig.  3. 

1.  The  softness  or  loudness  of  tone  depends 
on  wave  amplitude. 

In  Fig.  3  are  shown  three  waves  of  the  same 
length  and  form,  but  of  different  amplitudes. 

Intensity  of  sound  depends  on  the  ampli- 
tude. Therefore,  the  greater  the  amplitude  the 
greater  will  be  the  carrying  power  of  the  sound. 
As  long  as  there  is  energy  enough  to  create  an 
amplitude  the  sound  will  continue. 

13 


2.     Pitch  depends  on  wave  length. 


(high  pitch) 


Oow  pitch) 


(still  lower  pitch) 


Fig.  4. 

Fig1.  4  shows  three  waves  of  the  same  form 
and  amplitude,  but  of  different  lengths. 

The  pitch  of  sound  is  lower  or  higher  as 
the  wave  length  is  respectively  longer  or 
shorter.  The  number  of  waves  or  air  vibra- 
tions produced  in  a  second  of  time  is  deter- 
mined by  the  wave  length,  i.  e.,  the  shorter 
the  wave  length,  the  greater  will  be  the  num- 
ber of  wraves  in  a  second  of  time.  If  the  air  is 
forced  to  vibrate  a  certain  number  of  times 
in  sound  waves  during  one  second,  and  a 
greater  number  of  times  the  next  second,  there 
will  result  two  different  pitches.  This  is  easily 
proven  by  swinging  a  nail  tied  to  a  string 
swiftly  and  more  swiftly  over  our  heads.  The 
sound  travels  up  scale  as  the  speed  is  increased. 
A  high  note,  consequently,  is  formed  by  a 
quicker  vibration  than  a  low  note.  By  a 
quicker  vibration,  however,  we  do  not  mean 
a  more  intense  vibration.  Intensity  depends 
on  amplitude.  Quicker  vibrations  merely  give 
a  greater  number  of  vibrations  within  a  given 
time,  and  so  raise  the  pitch  of  the  tone. 

14 


3.     Quality  as  well  as  Timbre  depends  on 
wave  Form. 


(Fig.  5.) 

In  Fig-.  5  are  shown  three  waves  of  the  same 
length  and  amplitude,  but  of  different  forms. 

As  the  form  changes,  either  quality  or 
timbre,  or  both  quality  and  timbre,  change. 
Quality  and  timbre  are  denned  in  a  succeeding 
chapter.  How  two  different  timbres  affect 
the  form  of  the  sound  waves  that  express  the 
same  quality  is  also  explained.  Suffice  it  to 
say  here,  that  wave  form  determines  both 
timbre  and  quality. 

A  knowledge  of  how  these  three  character- 
istics— form,  length  and  amplitude — influence 
the  sound  wave,  will  aid  the  student  to  under- 
stand how  the  development  of  the  element  of 
tone  gives  him  the  greatest  possibilities  for 
expression  in  the  tonal  art. 


15 


Analysis    of  Tone. 

What  Tone   Is. 
Acoustic   Properties. 

A  scientific  knowledge  of  the  characteristics 
that  constitute  a  sound  wave  has  been  gained 
in  the  Introductory.  In  the  making  of  music 
with  the  voice,  however,  there  is  necessary  an 
aural  knowledge,  i.  e.,  a  power  of  comprehen- 
sion and  discrimination  of  tones  with  the  ear. 
A  scientific  analysis  of  a  sound  wave  shows 
its  three  characteristics  to  be:  (1)  amplitude, 
(2)  length,  and  (3)  form.  These  character- 
istics appeal  to  the  aural  sense  as  (1)  intensity, 
(2)  pitch,  (3)  quality  and  timbre. 

The  first  important  consideration  for  the 
vocalist  is  the  life-sustaining  power  of  tone, 
for  without  life-sustaining  power  there  could 
be  no  tone.  In  the  scientific  analysis  the  life- 
sustaining  power  is  shown  to  be  the  amplitude 
of  the  sound  wave,  which,  in  the  aural  sense, 
corresponds  to  its  intensity  or  carrying  power. 

In  analyzing  tone,  therefore,  with  the  aural 
sense,  we  must  find  what  ingredient  it  is  in 

17 


the  tone  that  gives  our  sense  of  hearing   the 
sensation  of  greater  or  less  intensity. 

In  order  to  find  this  ingredient  let  us  analyze 
sounds  we  have  heard.  Concentrate  closely  on 
the  memory  of  some  very  powerful  sound  that 
has  affected  every  nerve  in  your  body  and 
made  you  clasp  your  hands  over  your  ears. 
You  will  find  that  it  was  a  piercing,  shrill,  keen 
and  penetrating  sound.  It  made  your  nerves 
tingle.  It  cut  into  your  brain.  It  startled 
you,  altho  you  may  have  expected  it.  The 
keener  and  sharper  the  sound,  the  more  your 
nerves  tingled  and  the  deeper  did  it  cut.  Take 
away  this  keen,  piercing  ingredient  from  a 
noise  to  any  extent  and  you  will  realize  that  it 
affects  you  less  severely.  There  is  lacking  that 
something  which  stirs  your  nerves  and  makes 
you  clasp  your  hands  to  your  ears. 

You  have  heard  whistles  blowing  in  your 
neighborhood-* — one  farther  away  than  the 
other.  You  may  have  become  aware  that  one 
of  these  whistles  was  less  distinct  than  the 
other,  altho  the  one  less  distinct  was  not 
so  far  away.  The  more  distinct  whistle  had 
a  keener,  shriller  sound. 

You  undoubtedly  have  heard  a  human 
scream  of  agony  or  fright  that  has  made  you 
tremble;  not  only  because  of  its  humanness 
and  your  sympathy  did  it  make  you  shudder, 

18 


but  because  it  carried  in  it  that    something 
which  compelled  your  mind  to  listen. 

The  power  that  roused  you  and  held  your 
attention,  in  spite  of  every  other  interest  of 
the  moment,  was  the  keen,  piercing  sharpness 
that  predominated  in  both  of  the  sounds.  It 
will  be  remembered,  if  you  recall  such  sounds 
heard  at  a  great  distance,  that  it  was  this  keen- 
ness that  was  evident  to  your  ear.  For  ex- 
ample, the  whistle  of  a  locomotive  will  sound 
very  sharp  when  it  is  far  away,  but  as  it  ap- 
proaches the  ear  receives  a  fuller  sound.  Or, 
as  the  locomotive  moves  slowly  into  the  dis- 
tance, the  whistle  sounds  shriller,  till  the  last 
sound  you  hear  is  a  thin  thread  of  sharpness. 
This  goes  to  show  that  it  is  the  keenness  in 
the  sound  that  carries  itself  into  the  distance. 
From  the  scientific  analysis  we  know  that  the 
distance  a  sound  travels  is  dependent  on  the 
wave  amplitude.  Science  also  says,  rightly, 
that  intensity  of  sound  corresponds  to  the 
wave  amplitude.  From  your  own  experience, 
as  illustrated  in  the  two  examples  above,  you 
know  that  a  sound  that  affects  your  nerves 
most  intensely  is  the  sound  that  is  keen  and 
piercing.  Since  it  is  not  the  wave  length,  but 
the  amplitude,  that  determines  the  life  or  the 
carrying  power  of  the  wave,  and  since  it  is 
the  keen  and  sharp  sound  that  is  carried  the 
greatest  distance,  these  two  things  must  be 

19 


identical  with  the  intensity  of  the  sound  wave. 
The  question  may  arise  in  some  minds 
whether  the  distance  causes  a  rise  in  pitch. 
They  may  remember  that  when  a  factory 
whistle  begins  to  blow  it  rises  in  pitch.  The 
reason  for  this  rise  in  pitch,  which  is  especially 
evident  in  a  large  whistle,  is  that  the  amount 
of  pressure  that  is  at  first  applied  is  not  yet 
sufficient  to  make  the  air  vibrate  in  sound 
waves  such  as  are  meant  to  be  created  by  the 
aperture  of  the  whistle.  The  air  column  in 
the  whistle,  instead,  is  being  vibrated  before 
the- steam  drives  it  out.  As  soon  as  the  steady 
pressure  of  steam  forms  sound  waves  thru 
the  lips  of  the  whistle  the  pitch  will  remain  the 
same  unless  that  pressure  is  again  slowly 
removed.  It  is  never  the  distance,  but  the 
amount  of  pressure,  that  has  to  do  with  the 
rise  of  pitch  in  this  case.  The  pitch  of  every 
whistle,  we  know,  depends  on  the  size  of  its 
aperture,  and  it  takes  a  certain  amount  of 
pressure  to  make  it  blow  at  that  pitch,  and 
no  matter  what  the  pressure  is  thereafter  there 
will  be  no  further  rise  in  pitch.  Pitch  never 
changes  because  of  distance,  for  then  the  wave 
length  would  have  to  change,  and  all  laws  of 
harmony  in  sound  would  be  contraverted.  If 
that  were  true,  then  sounds  made  on  the  same 
pitch,  one  after  the  other,  at  different  dis- 
tances, would  reach  the  ear  of  the  listener  as 

20 


sounds  of  two  different  pitches.  If  two  in- 
struments of  different  timbres,  or  of  the  same 
timbre,  played  two  notes  in  harmony,  these 
two  notes  would  be  out  of  harmony  when  they 
reached  the  ear  of  the  listener,  if  the  wave 
length  changed  with  the  distance  and  the 
listener  happened  to  be  nearer  one  than  the 
other  instrument. 

A  sound  in  the  distance,  we  know,  has  a  fine 
keenness.  As  you  approach  the  resounding 
body  the  sound  may  become  very  full.  The 
amplitude  increases  as  the  distance  diminishes 
and,  with  it,  the  intensity  of  sound.  The  wave 
form,  as  we  approach  the  resounding  body, 
rounds  over,  i.  e.,  the  sound  becomes  fuller. 
The  form  of  a  sound  wave  depends  entirely,  as 
science  has  proven,  on  the  aperture  thru 
which  the  sound  wave  is  created.  The  fullness 
is  dependent  on  the  form  of  the  wave,  which, 
in  turn,  is  modified  by  the  amplitude.  The 
amplitude  of  the  sound  wave  depends  on  the 
force  transmitted  into  the  wave.  The  ampli- 
tude of  a  sound  wave,  then,  or  the  intensity  of 
that  sound,  is  the  element  of  sound  as  it  ap- 
peals to  the  ear  of  the  listener  in  a  more  or  less 
rounded  form. 

We  may  say,  therefore,  that  tone  is  the  ele- 
ment of  sound  in  a  more  or  less  rounded  form. 

All  things  in  Nature  have  an  ingredient 
substance  which  determines  the  life  or  the 

21 


classification  of  that  thing.  In  analyzing  sound 
we  have  had  to  seek  that  ingredient  which 
gives  to  sound  the  power  of  existing — that 
power  which  sustains  the  life  of  the  vibrations 
that  carry  sound  from  its  beginning  until  it 
reaches  the  ear  of  the  listener.  Science  has 
clearly  demonstrated  that  it  is  the  amplitude 
that  determines  the  life  of  the  sound.  And 
hence,  the  ingredient  in  sound,  as  it  appeals  to 
our  ear,  that  determines  the  life  of  the  sound, 
must  correspond  to  the  characteristic  that  de- 
termines the  life  of  the  sound  wave.  Added 
ingredients  of  other  elements  are  only  of 
proportionate  value  and  must  always  be 
eliminated  in  order  to  get  at  the  determining 
element.  The  existence  of  sound,  therefore, 
in  whatever  form  that  sound  may  be  given  life 
by  the  resounding  body,  is  determined  by  the 
intensity,  or  the  element. 

For  the  vocalist,  as  I  have  said,  the  first 
important  consideration  is  the  life-sustain- 
ing power  of  tone.  This  we  have  learned 
to  be  the  element  of  tone  in  a  more  or  less 
rounded  form,  i.  e.,  it  is  the  intensity  with 
which  the  sound  appeals  to  our  aural  sense  and 
which  has  been  proven  to  be,  in  its  most  in- 
tense form,  a  very  keen  and  penetrating  sen- 
sation. The  rounder  the  sensation  stimulated 
in  the  aural  receptiveness,  the  less  keen  and 
piercing  is  the  tone  produced.  For  instance, 

22 


the  mouth  of  the  whistle  is  cut  in  a  certain 
shape  to  produce  a  certain  sound,  for  it  has 
been  found  that  one  kind  of  aperture  will  give 
one  kind  of  sound,  and  another,  another.  The 
round-mouthed  whistles  give  a  rounder  sound, 
i.  e.,  a  fuller  sound.  In  the  full  tone  the  ele- 
ment of  sound,  i.  e.,  the  keen,  piercing  ingredi- 
ent, has  been  rounded.  Stated  scientifically, 
the  wave  form  or  outline  of  the  full  tone, 
created  by  the  amplitude,  has  been  given  a 
very  rounded  form  by  the  aperture  thru 
which  the  force  gave  life  to  the  wave. 

The  important  consideration  that  concerns 
the  life  of  sound  is  the  transmission  of  energy 
into  the  flexible  body  of  air  by  the  force  that 
creates  the  wave.  The  sound  produced  by 
driving  a  small  nail  with  a  good-sized  hammer 
into  a  solid  post  of  oak  is  much  less  in  in- 
tensity than  the  sound  produced  by  shaking 
the  same-sized  nail  in  a  tin  box.  From  this  il- 
lustration it  can  easily  be  seen  that  it  is  not  the 
force  expended,  but  that  it  is  the  force  trans- 
mitted that  creates  the  intensity  of  sound.  In 
the  first  case  the  force  was  directed  to  drive 
the  nail  into  the  oak  post.  The  resistance 
of  the  wood  in  the  oak  post  stayed  the  vi- 
brations of*  the  nail  and  killed  the  sound.  In 
the  second  case  the  nail,  in  its  contact  with 
the  tin  box,  was  left  free  to  vibrate  upon  the 
air.  If  the  hammer  had  struck  a  nail  fastened 

23 


in  a  large,  thin  sheet  of  brass,  the  resistance 
of  the  brass  would  not  have  been  great  enough 
to  stay  the  vibrations  of  the  nail.  In  this 
instance  the  vibrations  would  have  been  trans- 
mitted to  the  sheet  of  brass,  and  from  it  into 
the  air.  A  boiler-maker,  when  he  drives  the 
rivets,  is  always  deafened,  to  some  extent,  by 
the  vibrations  of  sound. 

Now,  if  the  vibrating  body  is  covered,  the 
vibrations  that  produce  sound  waves  are  re- 
sisted, and  the  result  is  a  muffled  sound,  or 
perhaps  no  sound  at  all.  No  one  would  think 
of  covering  the  mouth  of  a  whistle  or  the 
mouth  of  a  human  being  unless  he  wished  to 
muffle  the  sound.  Near  by,  this  muffled  sound 
may  seem  very  big,  tho  never  keen  nor  intense, 
and  it  can  not  be  heard  at  a  distance.  In 
order  to  transmit  energy  to  the  flexible  body 
of  air  for  the  creation  of  sound  waves  there 
must  be  no  resistance  between  the  force  of  the 
resounding  body  that  creates  the  sound  vibra- 
tion and  the  flexible  body  of  air  where  the 
sound  wave  is  created. 

Vibrations  of  sound,  therefore,  must  be  free 
and  unimpeded  in  order  to  continue  effecting 
new  vibrations.  In  order  for  sound  to  be 
carried  a  great  distance  the  wave  vibrations 
must  be  deep  and  high,  i.  e.,  the  amplitude 
must  be  so  great  that,  for  a  long  time,  each 
successive  wave  has  sufficient  force  and  energy 

24 


to  impart  in  order  to  create  another  wave.  As 
the  energy  is  transmitted  from  wave  to  wave 
in  spherical  motion,  the  circle  is  gradually 
widened.  The  increasing  amount  of  air  that 
is  set  in  motion,  and  the  friction  caused  by  the 
resistance  of  transmitting  energy  thus,  from 
one  wave  to  the  next  greater  wave  form, 
diminishes  the  amplitude  (intensity). 

It  is  self-evident  that  a  noise  created  outside 
of  any  body  is  far  greater  than  a  noise  locked 
within  that  body;  for  when  the  sound  is  im- 
peded before  it  reaches  the  ear  of  the  listener, 
by  virtue  of  the  laws  of  reflection  and  refrac- 
tion, the  sound  is  partly  thrown  back,  and  the 
part  that  does  reach  the  listener  is  so  weak 
that  it  has  lost  its  original  character. 

This  calls  to  mind  again  that  one  thing  es- 
sential to  the  life  of  the  tone  which  we,  who 
desire  to  attain  a  perfection  in  the  vocal  art, 
must  take  into  consideration.  That  thing  is 
no  other  than  the  element  of  tone  itself.  This 
we  must  teach  the  ear  to  cultivate.  But  that 
comes  in  a  later  chapter. 

No  doubt,  you  have  sat  in  the  front  row 
at  the  opera  and  heard  world-famed  singers 
producing  tones  that  came  to  your  ears  rough 
and  jagged.  But  when  you  heard  them  from 
the  rear  end  of  the  theatre,  the  tones  made  by 
the  same  singer  sounded  smooth  and  even. 
The  explanation  of  this  apparent  incongruity 

25 


does  not  result  from  a  conscious  production 
of  tone  by  the  singer,  but  is  a  simple  matter  of 
fact  that,  when  a  singer  produces  a  rough, 
scratchy  tone  in  a  large  place,  where  the 
acoustic  properties  are  more  or  less  imperfect, 
the  waves  of  the  sound  vibrations  have  rough, 
jagged  surfaces.  The  energy  which  creates 
this  little  roughness  in  a  wave  is  not  sufficiently 
forceful  to  live  out  the  life  of  the  vibration, 
and,  consequently,  it  grows  less  and  less 
rough  as  it  vibrates  toward  the  rear  end  of 
the  room,  until  finally  it  disappears  into  the 
surface  of  the  wave,  and  the  tone  is  smoother 
now  as  its  wave  line  of  vibration  is  more 
even.  Such  energy,  then,  is  wasted  force,  and 
might  have  been  transmitted  to  the  body  of 
the  wave  at  the  start. 

A  large  space,  as  well  as  a  small  one,  de- 
mands attention.  In  fact,  any  resonant  space 
in  which  we  are  to  create  tone  must  be  meas- 
ured by  the  ear.  This  is  one  of  the  things 
that  the  law  of  acoustics  demands  of  the 
singer.  As  we  now  know,  the  element  of  tone 
is  the  carrying  power  of  the  tone.  It  is  the 
cutting  of  deep,  forceful  waves.  In  a  great, 
resonant  space  we  must  seek  to  make  the 
sound  waves  "vibrate  to  the  farthest  corner 
of  the  place.  We  can  do  this  by  demanding, 
with  our  ears,  more  of  the  element  in  the  tone 
we  produce.  Contrarily,  in  a  small  space  our 

26 


ear  should  call  for  a  tone  in  a  very  rounded 
form,  for  less  of  the  element  is  required. 
The  wave  vibrations  need  less  amplitude,  or 
force,  to  carry  the  sound  to  the  other  side  of 
the  small  room.  The  ear  must  be  at  all  times 
the  director  and  judge  of  the  amount  of  energy 
necessary  to  give  the  tone  more  or  less  of  the 
audible  elemental  ingredient — for  the  wave 
that  creates  the  telling  elemental  sound  is  the 
wave  that  will  reach  the  listener  farthest  away. 
A  pointed  elemental  tone  is  carried  at  first  by 
a  very  deep  wave,  but  as  it  vibrates  into  the 
distance,  the  wave,  by  losing  its  amplitude, 
loses  to  that  extent  its  original  character,  and, 

of  course,  carries  a  sound  less  intense  than  the 
one  created  within  a  near  radius  of  the  ear  of 
the  singer.  At  a  distance,  then,  the  keen, 
pointed  tone  will  appeal  to  the  ear  with  less 
intensity  and  in  a  smaller,  but  comparatively 
broader  form.  But  distance  does  not  change 
wave  length. 

The  size  of  resonant  space,  therefore,  must 
be  limited  for  beautiful  tone  production  to 
the  power  of  the  individual  voices.  There  still 
remains  this  unequivocal  fact:  that  if  the  small 
voice  and  the  large  voice  are  trained  to  ex- 
press themselves  to  the  greatest  possibilities 
of  musical  tone  production,  both  will  have 
tones  of  equal  carrying  power,  but  in  harmony 
respectively  with  their  lighter  or  heavier  qual- 
ity. The  more  forcefully  a  human  being  can 
produce  a  musical  tonal  wave,  the  more  may 

27 


he  round  the  element.  However,  this  does  not 
say  that  a  human  heing  cannot  develop  so  that 
he  can  produce  a  more  powerful  vibration  than 
that  which  he  at  first  produces.  The  law  of 
development  all  science  must  recognize,  for  it 
is  the  strongest  expression  of  the  law  of 
Nature,  without  which  nothing  can  be  im- 
proved. If  the  contrary  were  true,  even  the 
most  beautiful  voices  would  soon  wear  out. 
Usage  means  wear,  and  development  comes  as 
a  resultant  of  usage.  In  order  to  rebuild  we 
must  remove  old  structures.  If  the  student 
is  more  than  ordinarily  interested  in  the  phil- 
osophy of  tonal  development,  which  I  cannot 
help  but  feel  every  enthusiastic  student  is,  I 
wish  to  refer  him  to  the  discussion  in  my  book 
on  "The  Philosophy  of  Tone/' 

The  law  of  evolution  provides  the  possibil- 
ity for  development.  Even  if  one  has  but  little 
tone-producing  power  to  begin  with,  he  can 
develop  a  singing  voice  far  beyond  his  expec- 
tations, which  will  be  a  medium  of  expressing 
his  noblest  feeling  and  thought.  His  tonal 
imagination,  consequently,  also  will  grow  and 
develop.  It  is  necessary,  however,  for  those 
who  wish  to  develop  rapidly  and  correctly,  in 
accordance  with  the  laws  of  Nature,  whether 
they  have  great  or  little  power  of  producing 

28 


tone  to  begin  with,  to  give  themselves  the  exer- 
cises* that  will  bring  about  that  development. 
In  this  the  ear  of  the  student  must  at  all  times 
be  his  guide  and  teacher. 

*When  the  author  speaks  of  exercises  he  refers  to  Els  publica- 
tion of  three  vocal  studies — Elementary,  Intermediary  and  Ad- 
vanced. The  exercises  in  these  three  books  are  composed  and 
arranged  so  as  logically  to  aid  the  developing  voice  to  overcome 
all  difficulties. 


29 


The  Value  and   Training  of 
the  Ear 

Nature  has  given  us  a  sense  of  hearing,  by 
means  of  which  she  intends  that  we  discrimi- 
nate between  different  sounds.  By  her  law  of 
development  this  ability  to  discriminate  be- 
tween sounds  becomes  of  inestimable  value  to 
the  student  of  vocal  art.  It  is  thru  this 
very  power  of  discrimination  that  the  student 
can  learn  to  recognize  that  part  of  sound  which 
we  call  its  element.  And  this  power,  again, 
which  enables  the  ear  to  recognize  the  element 
enables  it  to  recognize  the  beautified  forms  of 
the  element. 

The  importance  of  the  ear  and  the  value  of 
its  training  have  been  overlooked  to  an  ap- 
palling degree.  The  training  of  the  ear  is 
perhaps  the  most  vital  factor  in  the  develop- 
ment of  the  singer.  For  thru  the  ear  the 
tonal  imagination  receives  new  impetus  from 
the  beautiful  tones  that  it  has  been  able  to 
accept.  The  tonal  imagination,  in  turn,  aids 
the  student  to  produce  that  tone  which  has 
been  built  from  the  tone  that  the  ear  has  recog- 
nized as  beautiful.  As  the  student  learns  to 

31 


produce  more  nearly  the  sound  that  his  tonal 
imagination  calls  for,  his  ear,  as  a  result,  will 
be  trained  to  a  higher  degree  of  efficiency  in 
discriminating  sound.  This  again  advances 
his  tonal  imagination. 

The  law  of  imitation  is  one  of  the  most 
powerful  developers  of  the  tonal  imagination. 
The  student,  therefore,  should  feed  his  ear  on 
the  very  best  tonal  production  that  he  can 
afford. 

The  thing  that  affects  sensitiveness  of  hear- 
ing most  is  the  concentration  that  the  student 
himself  applies  in  striving  to  create  a  tone. 
Here  the  developing  voice  itself  illustrates  to 
the  ear  the  need  of  a  higher  ideal.  Thus  it  is 
that  the  ear  becomes  dependent  on  two  things: 
(1)  on  the  imitation  of  a  tone  as  heard,  when 
created  by  someone  else,  and  (2)  on  the  crea- 
tion of  tone  as  directed  by  the  tonal  imagina- 
tion. Imitation  of  tone  depends  on  the  mem- 
ory of  hearing;  creation  of  tone  depends  on 
the  tonal  imagination. 

Thru  imitation,  then,  the  tonal  imagina- 
tion is  developed — imitation,  not  only  of  the 
most  perfect  tones  heard  as  produced  by 
others,  but  also  of  the  most  perfect  tone  that, 
at  some  time  or  other,  we  have  produced  by 
the  impetus  of  some  unusual  inspiration.  To 
the  tonal  imagination,  however,  is  given  that 
creative  power  which  makes  progressive  de- 

32 


velopment,  even  beyond  the  limits  of  the  pres- 
ent conception,  possible.  Without  the  tonal 
imagination,  the  law  of  imitation  would  be  nil. 
It  is,  therefore,  not  the  power  of  imitation 
that  we  seek  to  foster,  but  the  constant  devel- 
opment of  the  tonal  imagination,  which  be- 
comes, thru  its  creative  power,  the  soul  of 
the  voice. 

The  matter  of  the  creation  of  tone  is  so 
important  to  ear  training  that,  unless  the 
student  begins  from  the  first  to  produce  his 
tones  rightly,  there  will  result  all  kinds  of 
difficulties,. such  as  defectiveness  of  pitch,  lack 
of  clearness,  richness  and  those  qualities  that 
go  to  make  up  a  beautiful  tone.  The  memory 
of  hearing  becomes  filled  with  different  in- 
congruous, unmusical  sounds,  which  are  hard 
to  discard.  Having  become  habituated  to  the 
production  of  sounds  similar  to  those  carried 
in  the  tonal  memory,  the  tonal  imagination 
suffers  as  it  is  held  in  restraint  and  cramped 
to  a  free  acceptance  of  the  impetus  that  a  really 
beautiful  sound  gives  it.  The  ear  may  even 
have  become  incapable  of  recognizing  a  beau- 
tiful tone.  Altho  a  singer's  ear  may  be 
acute  to  beautiful  sounds,  while  he  is  hearing 
them,  the  wrong  creation  of  his  own  tones  so 
affects  his  memory  of  sound  that  when  he  tries 
to  create  tones  in  imitation  he  soon  destroys 
his  memory  of  those  tones.  The  tonal  imagi- 

33 


nation,  in  consequence,  receives  little  impetus 
from  the  memory  and  becomes  so  decrepit  and 
weak  that  it  no  longer  can  build  a  beautiful 
tone. 

So  far,  we  have  taken  up  the  production  of 
tone  as  such.  The  great  fault  of  most  singers 
is  that,  in  their  endeavor  to  create  beautiful 
tones,  the  language  of  the  song  becomes  un- 
intelligible. The  creating  of  alphabetical 
sounds  in  beautiful  tone  form  depends  on  the 
tonal  memory  and  the  tonal  imagination.  Of 
course,  it  is  paramount  that  the  student  should 
first  understand  the  shadings  of  the  tones 
before  he  takes  up  pronunciation,  as  pro- 
nunciation is  one  of  the  last  parts  of  the  art. 
The  pronunciation  of  words  will  be  approached 
thru  syllabic  forms  in  the  natural  order  of 
tone  development. 

At  all  stages  in  the  work  of  ear  training  the 
student  should  make  every  effort  to  concen- 
trate his  hearing  on  every  tone  he  produces, 
so  that  he  can  feel  sure  that  he  is  approaching 
the  ideal  of  his  tonal  imagination.  With  close 
concentration,  the  memory  will  become  filled 
only  with  the  purer  sounds,  and  the  tonal 
imagination  will  be  given  the  best  stimulus 
for  developing  a  beautiful  tone  ideal. 


34 


The    Placement  of   Tone 

)  VALUE  OF  THE  LIPS. 

b)  TRAINING  OF  THE  LIPS. 

c)  How  THIS  AFFECTS  TONE. 

d)  VOCALIZING  BREATH. 

e)  DEVELOPMENT  OF  TONE. 
(/)  THE  ROUNDING  OF  TONE. 

(g)  THE  DIFFERENT  TONAL  QUALITIES  AND 
SYLLABLES  TO  EFFECT  THESE. 

When  less  elastic  bodies  than  air  impede  the 
sound  waves,  they  are  reflected.  This  reflec- 
tion of  sound  makes  it  possible  to  build  a 
resonant  space  within  which  the  listener's  ear 
can  receive  the  vibrations  of  sound  just  as  they 
are  produced.  The  very  law  that  excludes  all 
outer  disturbances  and  reflects  all  inner  ones, 
works  to  the  detriment  of  a  tone  when  that 
tone  is  impeded  before  it  reaches  the  hearer. 
Even  tho  the  structure  of  the  impeding  body 
may  be  such  that  it  transmits  the  vibra- 
tions of  sound,  the  effect  of  the  law  of  refrac- 
tion will  weaken  the  original  character  of  the 
sound.  So,  then,  when  a  student  produces  a 
tone  in  his  throat  or  nasal  cavines,  the  sound 
vibrations  are  impeded  and  reflected  by  the 
flesh  and  bone  of  the  neck  and  face,  let  alone 

35 


the  fact  that  the  space  allotted  them  in  the 
throat  and  head  cavities  is  too  small  to  permit 
them  to  continue  their  spherical  motion. 

For  the  listener  it  is  the  wave  vibration 
created  in  the  outer  air  that  makes  sound.  So 
that  air  vibrated  by  the  vocal  cords,  altho 
formed  into  sound  waves  in  the  mouth,  throat 
and  nasal  cavines  so  powerfully  that  the  wave 
motion  is  carried  thru  flesh  and  bone,  yet 
the  wave  is  impeded  and  the  original  character 
of  the  sound  wave  suffers.  It  is  self-evident 
that  in  free  and  unimpeded  wave  motion  the 
amplitude,  length  and  form  of  sound  waves 
are  retained  unchanged.  The  place  where  the 
tone  waves  must  be  made  in  order  that  their 
motion  will  be  unimpeded,  is  as  far  away  from 
the  throat,  head  and  nasal  cavities,  and  as  near 
the  outer  air  as  possible.  That  place  which  is 
nearest  the  air  where  tone  can  be  created  is 
the  outer  edge  of  the  lips,  where  thousands  of 
little  muscular  fibrillae,  by  a  slight  movement, 
can  change  and  form  the  vibrations  into  the 
different  sounds  that  the  ear  calls  for.  We 
must  create  tone  as  far  away  from  our  bodies 
as  possible,  not  only  because  such  vibrations 
created  within  the  body,  covered  by  flesh  and 
bone,  will  not  carry  far,  but  for  the  reason  that 
they  will  lack  clearness,  being  muffled  and  shut 
within  the  very  body  that  creates  them.  If  we 
keep  our  mouths  closed  and  try  to  talk,  we  will 

36 


find  that  the  amount  of  sound  we  create  is  of 
no  use.  And,  if  we  open  our  mouths  very 
widely  and  force  the  vibrations  up  into  the 
head  and  nasal  cavines,  thru  which  we  draw 
our  breath  and  which  are  there  solely  to 
act  as  a  filterer  and  warmer  of  the  outside  air, 
our  tones  will  be  nasal,  unmusical,  will  lack 
clearness  and  distinctness  and,  most  of  all, 
carrying  power.  It  speaks  for  itself  that  the 
mouth  is  the  passage  nearest  the  throat  and 
the  outside  air.  If,  then,  we  create  our  vibra- 
tions of  sound  as  far  forward  as  possible,  we 
will  send  them  from  the  lips.  This  again  em- 
phasizes our  desire  to  learn  how  to  make  the 
vibrations  we  produce  vibrate  in  sound  waves 
from  the  edge  of  the  lips. 

Science  has  proven,  by  experiment  with 
horns,  that  it  is  not  the  different  materials  that 
control  the  character  of  sound,  but  the  size  and 
shape  of  the  apertures. 

If  you  bring  your  lips  together,  as  you  do 
when  you  whistle,  and  then  make  an  attempt 
to  whistle  with  your  throat,  you  will  find  that 
you  are  blowing  the  breath  thru  the  lips  with- 
out any  whistling  sound  coming  from  your 
throat.  Now  whistle  as  you  ordinarily  would, 
and  while  you  are  making  the  whistling 
sound  with  your  lips,  slowly  separate  them, 
but  continue  to  force  the  breath  out  with  the 
same  energy.  The  whistling  sound  will  dis- 

37 


appear,  for  the  energy  with  which  you  are 
exhaling  the  breath  is  not  great  enough  to 
create  vibrations  sufficiently  large  for  the  lips 
to  change  into  sound  waves.  You  will  have 
ceased  to  have  formed  sound  waves  with  them. 
Again,  when  you  whisper  very  softly,  you  will 
find  that  it  is  your  lips  that  form  the  different 
sounds  of  the  alphabet  and  not  your  throat. 
Exhaling  air  from  the  lungs  creates  vibration, 
as  does  all  movement,  and  this  vibration, 
altho  a  very  gentle  one  when  we  whisper, 
is  changed  by  the  lips  into  audible  sounds  that 
we  understand.  The  little  arrangement  of 
cords  that  Nature  has  placed  in  our  throats, 
by  means  of  which  we  can  vibrate  the  air  more 
strongly  than  when  we  wish  merely  to  whisper, 
is  there  to  enable  us  to  make  bigger  and 
heavier  vibrations.  Some  vibrations  are  so 
light  that  only  the  ears  of  insects  are  attuned 
finely  enough  to  register  the  vibration  as 
sound.  In  order  to  counterbalance  our  lack  of 
this  acuter  hearing,  Nature  has  given  us  a 
means  wherewith  we  can  create  a  heavier 
vibration  than  we  do  when  we  give  merely  a 
whispering  tone.  When  this  heavier  vibration 
is  formed  into  a  sound  wave  by  the  lips  it  can 
be  heard  at  a  great  distance.  Did  the  lips 
receive  merely  the  light  vibrations  that  result 
from  throwing  the  air  out  of  the  lungs  into 
the  atmosphere,  they  could  only  create  sound 

38 


waves  that  would  be  heard  at  short  range.  The 
necessity,  therefore,  for  the  lips,  which  form 
the  sound  waves,  to  receive  heavy  vibrations 
whose  amplitude  will  lend  a  greater  intensity, 
is  self-evident. 

It  is  to  the  creation  of  sound  upon  the  lips, 
then,  that  the  student  must  direct  his  aim. 
The  training  of  the  lips  becomes  the  all  im- 
portant factor  in  creating  tonal  wave  forms. 
A  tone  wave  created  on  the  outer  edge  of  the 
lips,  because  of  its  free  and  unimpeded  motion, 
retains  its  original  form,  length  and  amplitude, 
i.  e.,  the  quality,  pitch  and  intensity  the  ear  has 
called  for. 

A  little  hole  in  a  steam  pipe  will  emit  a 
sound,  whereas  a  larger  hole  punctured  in  the 
same  place,  with  the  same  amount  of  energy 
retained  in  the  pipe,  will  make  at  most  a 
rounder  sound  of  less  carrying  power.  If  the 
aperture  is  made  large  enough,  no  sound  at  all 
will  be  heard.  Consequently,  the  smaller  the 
aperture  in  the  steam  pipe  the  less  energy  will 
it  take  to  create  sound,  and  the  larger  the 
aperture  the  more  energy  will  it  take.  If  the 
aperture  is  very  small,  we  know  that  the  sound 
is  very  keen,  hence  nearer  the  beginning,  or 
element  of  sound.  Our  reason,  therefore,  tells 
us  to  keep  the  lips  at  first  closely  together,  i.  e., 
to  form  a  small  aperture  with  them  in  order 
to  create  a  sound  wave  that  will  be  a  vibration 

39 


of  the  tone  easiest  of  production.  The  tone 
that  is  easiest  of  production  is  keen  and  sharp. 
The  sharper  and  keener  the  tone  the  nearer 
will  it  be  to  the  beginning  of  sound.  In  our 
own  language  this  sound  is  best  given  us  in 
the  very  keen  pronunciation  of  the  vowel  "e." 
In  order  to  exercise  the  muscles  of  the  lips, 
however,  and  to  aid  us  to  bring  the  vibration 
to  the  lips  that  is  to  be  formed  by  their  muscles 
into  a  sound  wave,  we  place  the  consonant  "p" 
before  the  vowel  "e."  Practice  makes  more 
perfect,  and  with  practice  we  are  soon  able 
to  throw  the  vibration  to  the  muscles  of  the 
lips,  which  they  change  into  sound  waves  and 
the  form  of  tone  we  are  seeking.  Indeed,  our 
training  should  be  so  complete  that  the  mo- 
ment our  eye  sees  a  notation  of  a  sound,  our 
ear  will  immediately  hear  its  tone  ideal,  and 
the  lips  will  respond  quickly  to  the  formation 
of  that  tone  ideal  when  we  throw  the  breath 
to  their  outer  edge,  softly  or  heavily  vibrated 
over  the  little  cords  placed  in  our  throats  for 
this  purpose. 

The  first  thing  that  we  must  do  is  to  culti- 
vate that  sharp,  piercing  sound,  the  element  of 
tone,  which  we  know  will  carry  itself  to  the 
listener  and  stir  him.  Take  the  syllable  "Pee" 
and  make  the  sound  of  "ee"  as  sharp,  shrill 
and  piercing  as  any  sound  you  ever  heard.  The 
keener  and  sharper  the  tone  the  more  ele- 

40 


mental  is  its  character.  The  combination  of 
P  and  "ee"  is  given  because  the  consonant  P 
can  only  be  made  by  holding  the  lips  firmly 
together  and  forcing  them  apart  with  a  snap. 
When  the  lips  are  separated  with  a  snap  they 
should  not  be  brought  together  again  until  it 
is  time  to  pronounce  the  next  syllable,  i.  e.,  the 
syllable  Pee  should  never  be  pronounced 
"Peep."  The  vibration  of  a  tone  must  not  be 
cut  short  in  this  way.  A  tone  should  be  al- 
lowed its  natural  crescendo  and  diminuendo 
after  the  Pee  has  once  been  thrown  from  its 
place  off  the  lips.  At  first  it  may  require  some 
effort  to  throw  the  Pee  forcibly  enough  off  the 
lips.  The  first  thing  that  a  student  must 
acquire  is  tone  power,  i.  e.,  ability  to  make  a 
sound  that  will  carry.  After  a  few  weeks 
practice  the  effort  will  be  found  no  longer 
necessary,  as  the  habit  of  throwing  vibrations 
to  the  lips  has  become  an  involuntary  action 
in  the  creation  of  sound  with  the  syllable  Pee. 
Thus  the  action  of  the  lips  snapping  apart 
throws  the  vibration  so  far  forward  that  it  is 
shaped  into  its  sound  vibration  by  the  lips 
themselves.  The  element  of  tone  will  be  more 
nearly  attained  as  the  ear  cultivates  this  sound, 
for  the  ear  must  always  be  the  guide  of  the 
singer.  If  a  singer  cannot  recognize  tone  his 
mind  can  never  build  an  ideal  that  he  can  set 
as  his  goal. 

41 


It  is  necessary,  therefore,  to  train  the  ear  to 
analyze  every  tone  it  hears  of  others  and  those 
that  the  singer  himself  creates.  To  hear  a 
tone  and  to  give  it  again  exactly  on  the  same 
note  of  the  scale,  without  variance  from  pitch, 
is  one  of  the  student's  first  rules.  In  order  to 
do  this  the  ear  must  recognize  a  clear,  unim- 
peded tone,  for  if  the  tone  is  muffled  or  driven 
into  the  head  thru  the  nose,  the  singer  will 
be  unable  to  hear  the  sound  distinctly  enough 
to  realize  whether  it  is  exactly  on  pitch  or  not. 
Tone  vibrations  driven  thru  the  head  are 
no  longer  pure  tone  vibrations  when  they 
reach  the  outside  air,  and  therefore  again,  the 
singer  will  find  himself,  without  knowing  it, 
short  in  pitch  of  the  tone  he  wishes  to  produce. 
Some  of  our  most  famous  singers  demonstrate 
this  fact  unconsciously,  especially  in  their  sotto 
voce  work.  We  strive,  of  course,  for  sweet- 
ness, purity,  richness  and  power.  Purity  and 
power  both  depend  on  getting  the  tone  vibra- 
tions to  take  their  beginning  at  the  edge  of 
the  lips.  Richness  and  sweetness  come 
thru  the  manipulation  of  the  many  little 
muscles  of  the  lips  that  are  given  to  us  for 
this  purpose.  The  lips,  as  well  as  the  ears,  are 
an  invaluable  agent  to  the  singer  in  the  pro- 
duction of  tone.  For  with  the  lips  he  sharpens, 
rounds,  mellows,  softens,  hardens,  enriches  or 
sweetens;  in  fact  he  does  anything  that  the 

42 


ideal  of  his  imagination  may  suggest.  It  is  es- 
sential, therefore,  to  pay  close  attention  to  all 
sounds  and  tones  we  hear  in  order  to  develop 
our  tonal  imagination  and  fill  our  memory  of 
hearing  with  beautiful  sounds.  At  first,  how- 
ever, we  must  concentrate  on  the  element  of 
sound  that  we  long  to  make  beautiful.  We 
place  the  element  of  tone  upon  the  lips,  by 
making  the  "ee"  of  the  Pee  sharp  and  shrill. 
By  remembering  to  snap  the  lips  apart  every 
time  we  produce  a  tone,  we  quickly  gain  dex- 
terity to  make  a  more  and  more  powerful  tone. 
The  mind  soon  realizes,  for  the  ear  hears  it. 
Three  weeks  of  intelligent  practice  will  bring 
comparatively  astonishing  results  in  the  gain 
of  tone  producing  power. 

In  the  first  of  the  exercise  books  the  direc- 
tions for  practising  the  syllable  Pee  are  given 
with  musical  accompaniment.  When  three 
months  of  daily  drill  have  been  given  them  and 
the  ear  and  lips  recognize  and  form  the  ele- 
ment on  all  the  intervals  of  the  scale,  it  is  time 
for  the  rounding  of  the  element  to  be  taken  up 
in  the  first  stage. 

In  our  practice  to  produce  the  tone  more  and 
more  elemental  we  have  learned  to  throw  the 
vibrations  to  the  lips.  Just  as  soon  as  we  feel 
that  the  tone  waves  are  being  formed  there, 
we  begin  to  change  the  tone  more  and  more 

43 


to  suit  our  tonal  ideal  of  the  sound  "e"  of  our 
language.  Then  we  transcend  from  "ee"  into 
another  sound,  a  sound  which  is  an  easy 
transition  from  the  element,  but  which  is  more 
like  the  "u."  This  sound  we  get  by  combin- 
ing the  "e"  and  "u,"  and  we  again  aid  the  lips 
by  placing  the  syllable  P  before  it.  The  sound 
"eu"  (pronounced  like  the  German  umlaut 
"ii")  opens  somewhat  the  aperture  formed  by 
the  muscles  of  the  lips  in  pronouncing  Pee, 
and  slightly  rounds  it.  This  is  a  gradual 
change.  It  is  made  more  gradual  by  allowing 
the  muscles  of  the  lips  to  round  the  "eu,"  at 
first,  but  little.  The  lip  muscles  soon  learn, 
thru  practice,  to  answer  the  call  of  the  ear,  and 
in  time  can  produce  quite  a  rounded  "eu." 

We  find  that  when  we  change  the  for- 
mation of  the  aperture  of  the  lips  that 
the  sound  changes,  as,  of  course,  it  must, 
for  the  form  of  the  sound  vibration  changes. 
The  intensity  will  also  change  unless  we 
have  learned  to  produce  a  rounded  tone 
with  the  same  amount  of  energy  with 
which  we  produce  the  element.  Therefore, 
we  must  be  careful  not  to  try  to  round 
and  open  the  lips  too  far,  for,  if  we  do,  the 
muscles  of  the  lips  will  cease  to  have  control 
over  the  vibrations,  as  a  knowledge  of  recog- 
nizing the  greatness  of  the  vibration  of  the 
sound  that  we  are  able  to  produce  has  not  as 

44 


yet  been  acquired.  We  must  go  gradually 
and,  therefore,  take  the  next  step  that  deviates 
but  very  little  from  the  elemental  form,  and 
this  form  we  find  in  the  syllable  Peu.  The 
muscles  of  the  lips  must  receive  much  exercise, 
with  concentrated  attention,  and  the  ear  must 
hear  the  daily  production  of  tone. 

As  we  continue  in  our  practice  we  take  the 
syllable  next  in  order,  which  is  formed  with  a 
trifle  more  roundness  of  the  lips  than  the  "eu," 
and  this  we  find  in  the  vowel  "u."  The  lips,  by 
this  time,  will  have  become  dexterous,  and  we 
will  have  learned  to  throw  to  them,  with  the 
aid  of  the  consonant  P,  the  vibration  necessary 
to  be  changed  into  a  sound  wave.  So  we  put 
in  place  of  the  snappy  P  a  consonant  which  dis- 
appears more  readily  into  the  vowel,  and  the 
best  of  these  is  Y,  as  it  expresses  the  elemental 
sound  in  its  pronunciation  (i.  e.,  Yee-u), 
and  in  this  way  aids  the  lips  to  form  the  "u" 
sound  wave.  When  the  muscles  of  the  lips 
have  become  still  more  dexterous  and  form  the 
"u"  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  tonal  imagina- 
tion, we  allow  the  lips  to  form  a  still  rounder 
tone  out  of  the  vibrations  that  we  send  to  their 
very  edge. 

In  the  vowel  "o"  we  have  the  roundest  form, 
but  we  must  be  careful  at  first  not  to  try  to 
imitate  or  to  create  the  roundest  form  that  we 
have  ever  heard  or  imagined.  We  must  at  first 

45 


round  but  little,  as  the  muscles  of  the  lips  need 
much  practice  to  give  the  rounding  formation 
and  still  retain  the  lip  placement.  We  must 
not  open  the  lips  so  widely  that  the  amount  of 
vibration  that  we  send  to  their  edge  will  be 
expended  into  the  air  without  being  changed 
into  a  sound  vibration,  for  we  must  keep  in 
mind  that  it  is  not  the  amount  of  vibration  that 
escapes  thru  the  lips  that  creates  tone,  but 
it  is  the  amount  of  vibration  that  is  formed 
into  tone  waves  that  creates  it.  We  will  find, 
of  course,  that  after  a  longer  period  of  practice 
the  element  in  its  roundest  form  will  also  come 
without  the  aid  of  a  forced  snapping  of  the 
lips. 

Our  object  in  singing  is  to  create  musical 
tone.  That  each  letter  of  our  language  has  in 
it  some  form  of  the  element,  whether  more  or 
less  rounded,  we  know.  Therefore,  it  lies  en- 
tirely with  the  tonal  imagination  and  the  dex- 
terity the  student  acquires  in  producing  tones 
with  the  lips  and,  of  course,  in  the  greatness 
of  the  development  he  undergoes,  how  musical 
or  unmusical,  how  stirring  or  unpersuasive  his 
tones  will  be. 

Human  tone  is  vocalized  breath.  In  order 
to  vocalize  breath  as  we  send  it  over  the  small 
cords  in  the  throat  and  thru  the  aperture 
of  the  lips,  where  we  create  it  into  tone  in  its 
exit,  the  muscles  of  the  lips  must  be  given  an 

46 


opportunity  to  form  themselves  in  such  a  way 
that  they  can,  thru  their  action  alone,  pro- 
duce the  tone.  By  vocalized  breath  we  mean 
the  least  amount  of  breath  necessary  to  cause 
the  vocal  cords  to  vibrate  in  the  production  of 
a  loud  or  soft  tone,  and  not  the  amount  of 
breath  expelled  uselessly  thru  the  nose  and 
mouth.  The  utilization  of  every  particle  of 
breath  that  we  send  out  while  we  make  tone 
vibrations  of  it  on  the  lips  can  best  be  acquired, 
as  is  self-evident,  thru  the  production  of 
the  element  of  tone.  For  when  we  produce 
the  element  we  close  the  lips  so  that  but  a  little 
opening  is  there  for  the  passage  of  the  breath, 
and  it  is  the  cultivation  of  this  element  that 
develops  power  in  tone  production. 

As  we  learn  to  create  the  rounder  forms 
of  the  element,  we  learn  to  manipulate  the 
little  muscles  of  the  lips  so  that  every 
bit  of  breath  we  use  in  creating  tones  is  vocal- 
ized and  not  expelled  uselessly  thru  the 
corners  of  the  mouth  and  nose,  for  we  certainly 
cannot  make  beautiful  tones  come  thru  the 
nose  any  more  than  we  can  whistle  thru  the 
nose. 

It  will  be  found,  after  practice  with  the 
element,  that  the  power  of  producing  tone 
has  developed  enormously — far  beyond  our  ex- 
pectations. The  gaining  of  power  is  a  matter 
of  intelligent  daily  practice.  Roundness  of 

47 


tone  comes  gradually,  for  it  will  be  found  that 
our  ear  is  beginning  to  call  for  finer  tones,  the 
formation  of  which  demands  more  in  propor- 
tion of  the  lips. 

We  now  need  new  combinations  of  syllables 
in  order  to  give  the  lips  the  necessary  gym- 
nastics to  form  the  different  tonal  qualities. 
We  have  had  the  syllables  Pee  and  Peu.  We 
now  take  the  syllables  Yee  and  Yeu.  The  Yee 
is  made  without  the  snap  of  the  Pee  and,  there- 
fore, the  element  of  tone  in  the  Pee  must  first 
be  easy  of  production  upon  the  lips,  else  the 
tone  produced  with  the  Yee  will  be  created 
farther  back  in  the  throat,  which  we  know 
retards,  muffles  and  kills  its  beauty.  If  the 
syllable  Yee  slips  back  it  shows,  of  course, 
that  tone  can  be  created  farther  back  in  the 
throat,  because  the  muscles  in  the  mouth  and 
throat  are  sufficiently  elastic  and  can  be  used 
to  form  sound  waves.  But  the  fact  still  re- 
mains that  the  lips,  by  virtue  of  their  physical 
construction,  are  the  most  flexible  and,  hence, 
the  easiest  to  direct,  and  the  best  adapted  to 
create  all  the  varied  changes  of  wave  form. 

In  case  the  Yee  slips  back  the  Pee  can  al- 
ways be  reverted  to.  The  Yee,  if  persistently 
practiced  and  alternated  with  the  Pee,  will  un- 
doubtedly find  its  creation  thru  the  little 
muscles  of  the  lips  exactly  at  the  same  place  as 
the  element  in  the  syllable  Pee.  The  aid  to 

48 


the  lips  with  the  consonant  P  is  no  longer 
necessary,  and  we  replace  it  with  the  conson- 
ant Y,  in  order  to  give  flexibility  for  rapid 
work.  It  is  very  essential  to  have  a  quick 
response  of  tone  in  order  to  do  coloratura. 
The  Y  of  the  Yee  will  be  found  gradually  to 
disappear  into  the  element  when  the  scales  are 
performed  very  quickly.  This  is  as  it  should 
be,  for  it  is  our  object  to  learn  how  to  create 
the  elemental  sound  upon  the  lips  without  the 
aid  of  a  consonant. 

The  question  of  attack  is  entirely  obviated, 
because,  when  tonal  waves  are  formed  by  the 
lips,  i.  e.,  when  the  syllables  are  produced  upon 
the  outer  edge  of  the  lips,  an  immediate  re- 
sponse of  tone  is  inevitable. 

What  proves  true  with  the  production  of  the 
keen  element,  thru  practice,  becomes  solely 
a  matter  of  dexterity  in  the  rounding  of  the 
element.  In  order  to  further  this  we  use  the 
syllable  Yeu,  and  as  we  pass  from  the  first 
exercise  book  to  the  second  we  take  up  the  still 
rounder  forms,  producing  them  with  Yu  and 
Yo,  and  finally,  in  the  last  book,  with  Bo  and 
Ro.  This  all  is  but  the  simple  and  gradual 
development  of  the  element  itself  and  its 
rounded  forms;  it  is  the  backbone  of  the 
musical  rendition  of  our  language,  for  the 
element  and  its  rounding  over  control  every 
tone  that  we  produce. 

49 


In  working  towards  the  rendition  of  our  lan- 
guage in  musical  tones,  we  must  take  up  the 
combinations  of  syllables  which  encompass  the 
entire  alphabet  of  our  language.  This  we  can 
do  best  by  making  combinations  first  of  those 
syllables  we  already  have  taken  up  in  the  ad- 
vanced book  of  the  exercises. 

Some  of  us  may  not  be  able  to  realize  fully 
what  a  round  tone  is  as  distinguishable  from 
a  hollow,  muffled  sound.  A  hollow  sound  can 
never  be  classed  in  tonal  production,  for  a  hol- 
low sound  is  a  reverberated  sound,  altho  it 
is  perfectly  possible  to  create  a  hollow  sound 
on  the  lips,  but  a  hollow  sound  cannot  be  cre- 
ated wholly  on  the  very  edge  of  the  lips — that 
is  impossible.  The  little  muscles  of  the  lips, 
in  order  to  create  the  hollow  sound,  twist 
themselves  in  such  a  way  that  they  send  the 
vibrations  back  into  the  throat  and  thereby 
cause  a  reverberation.  Have  you  ever  gone 
thru  a  tunnel  or  under  a  bridge,  or  into  a 
large  pipe  and  called  out  to  some  one  of  your 
friends,  and  have  you  noticed  how  hollow  and 
unearthly  the  sound  reverberated  as  the  vi- 
brations of  your  tonal  waves  struck  the  walls 
about  you?  Even  so  some  singers  try  to  pro- 
duce tones  by  making  them  reverberate  in 
their  heads  and  stomachs.  Every  tenor  who 
tries  to  make  his  tones  reverberate  in  his  head 
and  nose,  and  every  basso  who  tries  to  make 

50 


his  tones  reverberate  in  the  lower  regions  of 
his  stomach,  is  either  deplorably  nasal  or  mis- 
erably hollow,  and,  most  of  all,  in  nine  hundred 
and  ninety-nine  cases  out  of  a  thousand,  off 
pitch — altho  he  himself  or  his  musically  un- 
educated audience  may  never  learn  to  ex- 
pect the  perfect  pitch. 

The  rounded  element  is  nothing  else  than 
the  element  itself  rounded.  We  do  not  lose 
the  ingredient  of  the  keen  sound,  for  that  very 
ingredient  is  the  thing  that  carries  the  tone 
to  the  listener  farthest  away.  Our  endeavor 
is  to  train  the  lips  to  form  the  wave  vibrations 
for  silver,  bell-like  tones,  or,  as  the  mood  re- 
quires, for  rich,  sonorous,  brilliant,  stirring, 
dramatic  qualities.  The  possibilities  for  ex- 
pressing every  mood  lie  in  the  thousand 
changes  of  the  position  of  the  muscles  of  the 
lips,  and  whatever  may  be  the  probability  for 
dramatic  expression  or  for  purest  devotion,  the 
muscles  of  the  lips  can  be  trained  to  a  sufficient 
dexterity  to  express  their  every  tone-color. 
From  the  great  pipe  organ  we  have  a  round- 
ness of  tone  that  seems  unequalled  by  any  in- 
strument. 

In  learning  how  to  place  the  element  diffi- 
culties present  themselves  by  reason  of  the 
many  intricate  misuses  and  abuses  which 
voices  have  undergone.  So  some  of  us  find 
that,  in  spite  of  concentration  and  persistency 

51 


with  the  Pee,  the  sound  muffles.  In  that 
case  place  the  consonant  L  before  the 
element  "ee."  The  L  will  force  the  snap- 
ping of  the  tongue  and  thus  aid  the  "ee"  to 
its  place  on  the  lips. 

In  other  cases  the  tones  with  Pee  may  be 
nasal  from  previous  habitual  misplacement, 
then  the  consonant  C,  in  combination  with 
"ee,"  will  force  the  sudden  lowering  of  the 
under  jaw,  and  thus  will  aid  to  throw  the  ele- 
ment forward.  It  is  quite  impossible  to  get 
a  nasal  tone  with  the  syllable  Cee.  The  lower- 
ing and  lifting  of  the  under  jaw  is  simply  an 
accessory  to  the  enlarging  of  the  aperture  the 
lips  desire  to  make,  and  the  snapping  of  the 
tongue  is  simply  a  primitive  aid  to  bring  the 
vibrated  breath  upon  the  lips  before  we  change 
it  into  tone  vibration.  The  teeth  aid  the  lips 
to  cut  off  suddenly  some  of  the  vibrations  that 
are  to  be  changed  into  tonal  forms.  Practice 
will  enable  the  student  to  transform  vibrated 
breath  into  tone  the  moment  he  separates  his 
lips,  and  there  to  hold,  change  and  mold  this 
tone  at  pleasure  and  will. 

A  difficulty  that  sometimes  presents  itself 
in  practice  is  that  the  lips  begin  to  form  a 
very  clouded  tone,  especially  on  the  roundest 
forms.  Some  radical  change  is  needed,  and 
we  find  it  in  the  consonant  D  with  the 
element,  i.  e.,  Dee.  Dee  forces  the  lips  to 

52 


spread,  and  immediately  we  get  a  change  of 
tone,  clear,  altho  much  thinner,  for  thin- 
ness is  the  character  of  the  sound  Dee. 

If  some  should  have  extreme  difficulty  in 
snapping  the  lips  when  they  first  try  Pee,  they 
must  not  give  up  trying  to  snap  the  lips,  as  this 
must  be  learned  because  of  its  indispensable 
aid  in  keeping  the  tone  in  its  proper  place  on 
the  lips.  The  consonant  F,  placed  before  the 
element,  i.  e.,  Fee,  will  force  a  snap  of  the  lips. 
The  upper  lip  should  press  hard  against  the 
upper  teeth  and  down  upon  the  lower  lip,  so 
that  the  surface  of  the  lower  lip  is  wholly 
covered.  In  this  way  it  is  impossible  to  make 
the  sound  without  snapping  the  lips.  The 
aperture  at  the  mouth  should  be  small.  Allow 
the  lower  jaw  to  work  naturally  with  the  lower 
lip — it  is  unnatural  to  contort  the  lower  part 
of  the  face,  for  it  creates  an  unnatural  and  un- 
musical tone.  The  jaw  must  be  used  simply  as 
an  accessory  to  the  movement  of  the  lips. 

Sometimes  the  tones  get  a  thick,  puddingy 
quality  on  a  P  when  the  Peu  is  used.  The 
pronunciation  of  the  consonant  B,  with  the 
lips,  will  immediately  produce  a  clearer  and 
harder  tone  than  with  the  consonant  P.  Care 
should  be  taken,  however,  not  to  keep  to  the 
Bee  too  long,  for  it  in  turn  will  make  you  pro- 
duce the  tones  hard.  Bee  demands  a  hard  snap 
and,  consequently,  a  hardening  of  the  lips. 

53 


The  consonant  P,  combined  with  the  ele- 
ment, i.  e.,  the  syllable  Pee,  by  a  long 
experience  with  thousands  of  voices,  has 
proven  to  produce  the  medium  between  a  soft 
and  hard  tone.  If  the  tone  should  appeal  to 
the  ear  of  the  student  or  to  those  who  are 
directing  him  as  becoming  too  hard  (tho 
the  student  himself  must  build  his  own  tone 
ideals)  the  syllable  Ghee  (pronounced  Shjee) 
will  be  found  of  inestimable  value.  The  syl- 
lable Ghee  is  very  efficient  for  cultivating 
richness  in  tone. 

The  consonant  P  is  not  to  be  used  with  any 
of  the  rounder  forms  after  the  Peu,  as  it  is  too 
soft  in  character.  After  the  element  is  placed 
on  the  lips  we  need  no  other  consonant  with 
the  "u,"  except  the  Y,  because  the  sound  of  "u" 
is  begun  with  the  element  in  a  less  rounded 
form.  If  the  Yu  has  a  tendency  to  become 
nasal  or  to  slip  back  into  the  throat,  combine  it 
with  the  syllable  Cee,  i.  e.,  Cee-yu.  The  Cee- 
yu  should  at  first  be  used  on  one  notation 
only. 

The  rounded  forms  of  "o,"  on  account  of 
their  very  fullness,  at  first  need  a  harder  snap 
of  the  lips  in  order  to  throw  them  off.  So  in- 
stead of  the  consonant  P  we  use  the  harder 
consonant  B,  and  practice  Bo.  For  the  same 
reason  that  we  use  Yee  instead  of  Pee  on  the 
scales,  so  we  use  the  Y  in  combination  with 

54 


the  "o."  Bo  is  not  to  be  used  until  Yu  and  Yo 
come  easily.  The  Yu  and  Yo  are  the  element 
in  a  less  rounded  form  than  Bo.  Bo  will 
aid  to  give  a  fuller,  rounder  sound.  If  Bo  does 
not  come  full  and  round,  use  Cho  (pronounced 
Cho — not  Ko).  If  Bo  has  a  tendency  to  muf- 
fle, use  Ro.  In  order  to  aid  the  under  jaw 
to  work  naturally  with  the  movement  of  the 
lips,  use  Lo.  The  student  must  judge  with  his 
ear  what  syllables  are  best  adapted  to  aid  the 
production  of  the  rounded  forms  in  their  place 
on  the  outer  edge  of  the  lips.  In  order  to  give 
the  lips  a  chance  to  limber  the  muscles  neces- 
sary for  holding  the  sound  in  place,  practice 
the  exercises  a  few  times  with  the  placing  syl- 
lable Pee.  The  melodic  exercises  are  a  valu- 
able aid  whenever  the  production  of  tone  be- 
comes stiff  or  cramped.  Concentrate  closely 
to  create  the  rounded  forms  with  the  same 
little  muscles  at  the  same  aperture  where  the 
elemental  form  is  produced. 

Using  with  ingenuity  and  good  sense  the 
constantly  developing  discriminatory  powers 
of  his  ear  and  his  growing  musical  conception, 
the  student  can  beautify  the  tones  more  and 
more,  and  make  the  muscles  of  the  lips  form 
every  kind  of  tone  that  he  desires  to  produce. 


55 


Timbre  and  Quality. 
Division  of  the  Voices. 

The  human  voice  is  of  different  timbres  in 
both  male  and  female.  Timbre  gives  that 
character  to  a  voice  by  which  we  are  able  to 
classify  it  more  nearly  than  by  range  alone. 
To  take,  for  example:  A  soprano  and  a  con- 
tralto may  have  the  same  range,  yet  when  they 
sing  the  same  note  of  a  scale,  say  a  middle  C, 
the  contralto's  tone  will  sound  several  notes 
lower  than  that  of  the  soprano's, ,  and  again, 
the  voice  of  the  baritone-tenor  will  sound 
lower  than  that  of  the  lyric  tenor.  Timbre 
gives  a  lighter  or  heavier  effect  to  the  voice. 
Just  as  Nature  stamps  an  individuality  on 
every  part  of  a  person  as  the  result  of  his  life 
and  thought,  so  she  stamps  on  the  voice  an  in- 
dividuality expressed  thru  the  timbre. 

The  voice  has  another  possibility  of  ex- 
pression, which  we  call  quality.  Quality,  un- 
like timbre,  is  changeable  to  the  degree  that 
it  can  express  the  thousand  different  colorings 
of  every  emotion.  The  muscles  of  the  lips, 
thru  their  thoro  training,  can  give  a  form 
to  the  tonal  wave  they  create  that  will 

57 


express  a  feeling  of  gladness,  sorrow — love, 
anger,  etc.,  as  the  emotions  and  mind  may  di- 
rect. Quality  is  a  changeable  thing — timbre 
is  a  permanent  thing. 

Timbre  is  an  individual  characteristic  of  the 
voice,  just  as  the  formation  of  the  lips  is  an 
individual  physical  expression  of  character, 
whether  crudely  or  more  happily  formed.  All 
of  us  appear  differently,  all  of  us  walk  differ- 
ently, all  of  us  express  ourselves  differently, 
and  so  it  is  with  our  vocal  expression.  As  our 
physical  selves  differ  in  body  form,  so  the 
sound  waves  that  we  produce  differ  in  their 
wave  form  of  timbre.  Just  as  the  muscles  of 
the  lips  are  shaped  a  trifle  differently  in  each 
person,  so  also  the  two  sinews,  by  means  of 
which  we  vibrate  the  air  into  greater  or 
smaller  waves,  to  be  created  into  tone  by  the 
lips,  are  of  various  lengths. 

We  say  that  a  person's  timbre  changes  in 
that  his  voice  sounds  deeper  or  higher,  tho 
at  all  times  his  voice  may  be  recognized  as  a 
bass  or  tenor.  This  small  change  in  the  light- 
ness or  heaviness  of  the  voice,  however,  is  a 
lack  of  development,  and  only  momentary,  for 
every  individual  will  finally  discover  that  there 
is  one  certain  timbre  in  which  his  voice  is  most 
expressive  of  every  quality. 

The  difference  of  timbre  in  the  comparative 
voices  of  male  and  female  is  an  octave.  In  the 

58 


female  voice  we  recognize,  according  to  range 
and  timbre,  soprano,  mezzo-soprano,  mezzo- 
contralto,  contralto  and  alto — in  the  male 
voices,  tenor,  baritone-tenor,  baritone,  basso 
and  bass. 

Altho  voices  are  classed  according  to  their 
range  and  timbre,  and  rather  to  their  high 
and  low  timbre  than  range,  the  contralto  must 
have  low  notes  else  we  call  her  a  mezzo-con- 
tralto. If  the  low  notes  are  very  weak  in  a 
female  voice  and  the  high  notes  fairly  strong, 
with  the  tones  above  the  G  in  the  staff  to  G 
above  middle  C  high-timbred  and  full,  the 
voice  is  probably  a  mezzo-soprano. 

In  the  soprano  the  timbre  is  very  high  and 
the  more  lyric  the  higher  the  timbre  is  apt  to 
be,  altho  this  is  not  always  the  case.  A 
soprano  will  feel  at  home  on  the  tones  above 
a  middle  C  even  tho  her  voice  may  not  range 
higher  than  an  A  flat. 

The  same  that  is  true  of  the  female  is  true  of 
the  male  voices.  The  tenor  and  the  baritone- 
tenor  may  have  the  same  range,  but  the  timbre 
of  the  tenor  is  higher  than  that  of  the  baritone- 
tenor,  and  that  of  the  baritone-tenor  higher 
than  that  of  the  baritone — of  the  baritone 
higher  than  that  of  the  basso. 


59 


Division  of  the  Voices 


(Desig.  on  the  Piano) 


Contralto      Mezzo-contralto      Mezz»-8oprano         Soprano 


-U&  

t  1 

IS 

1 

f'ass  Pari'.on?  Baritone-tenor  Tenor 


Baritone-tenor    and    tenor    score   usually    written    in 
treble  cleft. 


Baritone-tenor  Tenor 


60 


Assimilation  of  the  Voice 

By  assimilation  is  meant  the  training  of  the 
voice  to  pass  from  tone  to  tone  of  the  entire 
range  without  any  perceptible  change.  By  as- 
similating the  voice  from  the  lowest  to  the 
highest  tone  its  greatest  tonal  possibilities  can 
be  unfolded,  and  it  consequently,  gains  tjiat 
timbre  thruout  which  expresses  the  individ- 
uality of  the  voice  most  clearly  and  forcibly. 

If  the  voice  is  a  lyric  soprano,  all  the  tones, 
the  low  as  well  as  the  high,  should  preserve 
the  lyric  timbre,  for  the  individuality  of  the 
voice  can  be  expressed  only  when  the  lyric 
character  is  maintained  thruout  all  its  work. 
In  this  way  the  low  tones  will  not  detract  from 
the  tripping  coloratura  and  cadenzas  of  the 
upper  range  where,  in  coloratura,  the  lyric 
voice  finds  its  natural  mode  of  expression. 

If  the  voice  is  a  dramatic  soprano,  the  dra- 
matic timbre  of  the  so-called  "medium" 
range  should  be  carried  to  its  highest  note,  for 
it  is  the  dramatic  timbre  which  expresses  its 
character.  The  terms  "head,"  "medium"  and 
"chest"  are  used  simply  to  designate  a  certain 
part  of  the  range.  As  generally  understood, 

61 


these  designate  not  alone  certain  sections  of 
the  range  but  unknowingly  designate  also  cer- 
tain timbres,  of  which  the  mis-directed  be- 
ginner gives  a  different  one  on  each  of  the  so- 
called  sections.  Of  course,  a  voice  should  have 
only  one  timbre  thruout  its  entire  range  in 
which  to  express  every  quality — and,  there- 
fore, the  range  has  really  no  sections.  These 
different  timbres  come  from  wrong  placement 
and  lack  of  assimilation.  By  thus  assimilating 
the  dramatic  timbre,  the  voice  acquires  the 
power  necessary  to  express  its  individuality. 

The  uncertainty  of  unassimilated  voices  is 
seen  in  the  lyric  voice  when  it  has  cultivated 
tones  here  and  there  with  dramatic  fervor. 
This  unnatural  dramatic  expression  will  al- 
ways sound  affected  and  be  destructive  of 
those  rippling,  bell-like  effects  that  are  pecu- 
liarly the  property  of  the  lyric  voice. 

Again,  when  after  a  few  stirring  tones,  the 
dramatic  soprano  flies  off  suddenly  into  a  thin, 
high  voice,  so  destructive  of  its  dramatic  pos- 
sibilities, its  lack  of  assimilation  is  most  keenly 
felt.  The  dramatic  voice  should  be  rich, 
vibrant  and  full  of  sympathy. 

If  the  contralto  peals  out  rich,  beautiful,  low 
tones  and  suddenly  breaks  into  a  different 
timbre  on  high  notes  so  as  to  create  almost 
two  distinct  voices,  the  tonal  harmony  of  the 
voice  is  destroyed.  In  the  contralto  voice, 

62 


especially,  in  consequence  of  its  deep  range, 
this  break  or  change  of  timbre  is  most  per- 
ceptible. This  break,  altho  not  so  apparent 
in  the  mezzo-contralto,  is  nevertheless  a  diffi- 
culty that  must  be  overcome.  The  mezzo- 
contralto  should  assimilate  the  voice  with  the 
"medium"  tones  as  models  for  timbre. 

All  female  voices  must  use  "medium  voice" 


from  C  below  the  staff  IKZZ^I  to  C  in  the 


1 


J  & 

clef  '/fo  for  it  is  this  "medium  voice"  that 

•/ 

covers  all  perceptible  breaks.     If,  for  instance, 
the  contralto  uses  what  is  known  as  "chest" 


tones  to  an  F  or  G  in  the  staff  /As      9   ,  and 

*r~ 

then  breaks  off  into  a  "medium,"  or,  in  un- 
usual cases,  uses  "chest"  to  an  A  or  B  flat 


and  there  breaks  into  the  so-called 


"head  voice,"  which,  however,  is  really  neither 
"head"  nor  "medium,"  the  "medium"  tones 
will  scarcely  be  heard,  and  the  tones  between 

the  break  and  the  B  flat  or  D  flat 

where  the  "head  voice"  begins,  may  be  entirely 
lost,  and  whatever  of  tone  there  is  will  sound 

63 


like  the  voice  of  a  child.     The  so-called  "chest 
voice"  in  the  contralto  is  produced  easily  up  to 


an  F  below  middle  C  /V       — ,  and  it  cannot 


be  lost.     The  beginner's  "chest  voice"  is  hard, 
and    if   used    pure    above    C   below   the    staff 


stops   all   flexibility   of   tone.     When 


the  mellow  "medium"  tone  is  then  suddenly 
contrasted  with  the  beginner's  hard  "chest," 
there  result  two  distinct  voices.  In  order  to 
avoid  this  the  contralto  should  begin  to  mix 
the  "medium"  with  the  "chest"  on  a  C  below 


the  staff  fr\  Thus  the  hardness  of  the 


"chest"  tone  gradually  merges  into  the  "me- 


dium"  up  to  an  F  /L      —  ,  after  which  the 


tones  should  be  pure  "medium."     The  "chest 
voice"  should  begin  to  tell  powerfully  on  the 


B  below  the  C  (ft and  down  to  the  lowest 


tone.     C  and  D  f(Y)  become  mixed  tones 


in  which  the  "chest"  predominates.     The  mix- 

64 


ing  of  these  timbres  gives  ease  by  virtue  of  the 
"medium,"  and  especially  in  concerted  work, 
where  the  need  of  it  is  most  noticeable,  does 
it  give  strength  to  the  "medium"  by  virtue  of 
the  "chest"  timbre. 

Therefore,  if  the  "chest"  is  used  up  to  an  F 


the    "medium"    timbre    refuses    to 

?== 

answer  up  to  a  middle  CZ^ZZZIbut  by  building 

V* j 


the  lower  "medium"  tones,  the  upper 
"medium  voice"  is  strengthened  so  that  it  will 
respond  loudly.  In  beginning  to  assimilate 
the  "medium"  on  the  first  four  notes,  i.  e.,  C 


to  F((\)          these  may  be  so  weak  as  to  dis- 


courage, but  practice  will  make  them  grow 
rich  and  beautiful  in  a  short  time.     The  mis- 


take  of  using  "chest"  timbre  to  an  F 


is  common  even  with  the  soprano  voice.  The 
soprano  ought  never  to  use  "chest"  tones. 
The  soprano  has  to  consider  but  one  difficulty, 
which  will  right  itself  naturally  if  the  tonal 
possibilities  that  lie  in  the  individuality  of  the 
voice,  be  it  lyric  or  dramatic,  are  cultivated. 
The  difficulty  comes  upon  F,  F  sharp  and  G 
above  middle  C. 

65 


What  is  true  of  female  voices  in  their  range 
is  respectively  true  of  the  male  voices  in  their 
range. 

The  greatest  care  and  close  watchfulness 
must  be  given  to  the  practice  of  the  exercises 
for  assimilating  the  voice.  The  muscles  of 
the  lips  cannot  immediately  respond  at  the 
desire  of  the  ear  to  every  call  of  the  tonal 
imagination,  for  they  have  not  yet  developed 
the  strength  and,  consequently,  neither  the 
dexterity  with  which  to  form  tonal  waves  out 
of  the  vibrations  they  have  received.  Indeed, 
the  ear  cannot  yet  recognize  the  mixed  tone 
necessary  to  grive  expression  to  the  greatest 
tonal  possibilities  of  which  the  individual's 
voice  is  capable.  The  discriminatory  powers 
of  the  ear  must  learn  to  select  that  form  of 
sound  which  to  it  is  the  most  beautiful.  It  is 
this  most  beautiful  form  that  the  voice  must 
assimilate  thruout  its  entire  range. 

Certain  forms  of  tone  waves,  such  as  are 
created  in  the  throat  or  in  the  head  cavities, 
will  not  give  the  muscles  of  the  lips  the  exer- 
cise necessary  for  a  gradual  transition  of  tone 
from  what  is  called  by  the  vocal  artist  "chest" 
to  what  is  termed  "medium."  There  is,  in 
reality,  neither  a  "chest"  nor  a  "medium  regis- 
ter." The  formation  of  a  tone  that  is  called 
"chest"  is  simply  a  matter  of  the  formation  of 
a  sound  wave  by  the  muscles  of  the  lips,  as  is 

66 


also  the  tone  called  "medium."  And  there  is 
no  such  thing  as  a  "head  voice,"  because  if  we 
are  going  to  throw  the  tones  thru  our  heads 
we  will  surely  change  the  natural  form  of  the 
tone  vibration  and  retard  the  formation  of 
sound  waves  in  many  ways.  To  bear  down, 
then,  away  from  the  head  all  vibration  of 
breath  that  we  wish  to  vocalize  with  our  lips, 
is  our  first  and  most  important  effort.  We  do 
not  wish  to  make  tones  come  out  of  our  chest, 
nor  to  make  them  reverberate  with  a  hollow 
sound  thru  the  chest.  Nor  do  we  strive  to 
make  tones  reverberate  thru  the  nasal  cavines 
in  order  to  give  them  a  nasal  quality.  If  there 
is  anything  unpleasant  in  vocal  production  it 
is  the  production  of  hollow  and  nasal  tones. 
What  we  do  call  for,  and  what  all  musical 
instinct  and  cultivation  demands,  is  a  clear, 
bell-like  tone  with  its  silver  sweetness,  or  a 
tone  rich,  vibrant  and  stirring,  or  a  tone 
that  sounds  like  the  mighty  waves,  rolling 
unimpeded  over  one  another,  as  comes  from 
the  pipes  of  the  cathedral  organ.  In  order  to 
create  such  tones,  free  and  unimpeded  in  their 
motion,  the  vibration  that  is  to  be  converted 
into  a  tonal  wave  must  be  thrown  upon  the 
outer  edge  of  the  lips  where  the  little  muscular 
fibrillae  can  give  it  the  tonal  form  of  wave 
desired.  Unless  the  tones  are  produced  upon 
the  outer  edge  of  the  lips,  the  voice  will  never 

67 


become  assimilated  to  its  greatest  degree  of 
expression. 

There  is  no  need  to  enumerate  the  many 
varieties  of  beautiful  tones  that  the  muscles  of 
the  lips  can  give  to  the  wave  formations.  The 
very  fact  that  the  lips  are  able  to  form  so. many 
varied  sound  vibrations  gives  each  person  a 
power  to  express  his  individuality  in  tonal 
form.  All  of  us  have  different  tonal  imagina- 
tions in  so  far  as  our  varied  mental  processes 
and  the  individuality  of  our  natures  have  been 
developed  instinctively  and  thru  experience. 
The  voices,  whether  soprano,  contralto,  tenor, 
bass,  etc.,  are  in  themselves  a  means  of  expres- 
sion of  individuality,  but  the  entire  range  of  a 
voice  must  be  assimilated  in  order  to  bring  out 
its  greatest  tonal  possibilities.  Whether  the 
character  of  a  voice  in  its  expression  is  lyric 
or  dramatic  depends  on  the  temperament  of 
the  individual.  However,  the  expression  of  a 
voice,  as  in  all  things,  lies  in  the  strength  of  the 
desire  with  which  the  individual  pursues  his 
development. 

There  are,  however,  laws  of  the  universe  to 
which  we  must  conform  and  to  which  our 
beings  must  to  a  greater  or  less  measure  be 
attuned.  As  we  grow  in  discrimination  we 
are  stirred  by  certain  sounds,  and  by  others  we 
are  unaffected.  Because  one  can  create  a  pow- 
erful tone  is  no  reason  that  he  can  affect  others 

f>8 


with  it.  A  powerful  tone  is  not  necessarily  a 
beautiful  tone,  tho  the  development  of  produc- 
ing a  powerful  tone  is  a  necessity  toward  mak- 
ing a  beautiful  tone,  and  also  a  necessity  in  so 
far  as  it  gives  the  strength  to  create  beautiful 
tones  with  dexterity.  The  desire  for  develop- 
ment calls  for  physical  ability.  To  train  this 
strength  to  express  the  many  varied  forms  of 
lighter  and  heavier  work  becomes,  then,  the 
next  most  important  step.  In  assimilating  the 
voice  the  student  must  make  certain  that  he 
can  produce  all  tones  of  his  range  with 
strength,  and  that  he  does  not  leave  one  part  of 
the  range  weaker  than  the  other. 

In  order  to  send  a  vibration  that  is  strong 
enough  to  be  transformed  by  the  lips  into  a 
bell-like  tone,  the  student  must  have  acquired 
the  ability  to  produce  first  a  powerful  tone. 
The  lips  must  be  dexterous  enough  to  trans- 
form the  vibration  that  is  sent  to  their  edge  into 
a  bell-like  tone.  In  order  to  gain  this,  practice 
for  the  muscles  of  the  lips  and  exercise  for  the 
power  of  sending  vibrations  to  the  lips  is  a 
necessary  daily  demand.  To  acquire  it  in  a 
greater  degree  than  one  at  present  possesses 
depends  simply  upon  the  amount  of  concen- 
trative  effort  and  actual  practice  he  gives  to 
attain  it. 

Difficulties  may  arise.  There  are  very  few 
who  are  born  with  the  instinctive  knowledge  of 

69 


producing  tones  properly  even  on  three  or  four 
notes  of  a  scale.  There  are  others  who  have 
not  cultivated  the  ability  to  discriminate  tonal 
forms,  altho  they  have  studied  for  years.  They 
have  encountered  some  disastrous  difficulties, 
one  of  which  they  were  told  was  the  change 
from  "chest"  to  "medium"  and  another  from 
"medium"  to  "head."  These  voices  suffer  for 
the  lack  of  assimilation,  and  in  the  contralto, 
on  account  of  her  deep  range,  this  is  most  ap- 
parent. 

Such  of  the  women  who  possess  low  voices 
may  try  to  produce  a  tone  upon  C  below  the 
staff  and  then  follow  the  scale  up  to  an  F  or 
even  to  a  B  flat  below  middle  C,  keeping,  as 
their  ear  tells  them,  the  same  wave  formation 
of  tone  upon  every  note.  They  find  that  they 
produce  a  certain  wave  formation  upon  the  A 
below  the  staff.  Their  ear  accepts  that  wave  . 
formation,  it  being  either  the  best  tone  that  the 
lips,  thru  the  dexterity  of  its  muscles,  can  per- 
form, or  that  their  tonal  imagination  can  call 
for.  They  find,  perhaps,  that  this  is  the  most 
powerful  sound  that  they  can  produce  of  the 
low  tone  in  imitation  of  the  sound  represented 
by  some  letter  of  our  language  which  their  ear 
has  accepted.  As  they  go  up  the  scale  they 
find  suddenly  somewhere  between  an  F  and  B 
flat  below  middle  C  that  they  can  no  longer 
form  the  tone,  or  if  they  can,  that  a  number 

70 


of  tones  above  where  this  inability  of  producing 
a  sound  ceases,  are  very  weak.  They  go 
higher  and  find  suddenly  that  they  can  begin 
to  produce  sound  again,  i.  e.,  they  try  to  make 
a  tone  no  matter  how,  and  if  it  happens  to  take 
form  it  does,  if  it  doesn't,  it  doesn't.  If  they 
try  again  they  may  find  that  their  tones  cease 
at  a  different  note  on  the  scale.  They  have 
taken  a  new  way  of  making  the  tone,  perhaps, 
they  may  have  used  a  different  syllable.  This 
strikes  them  as  peculiar  and  they  immediately 
say  that  there  must  be  different  "voices"  to  the 
range,  else  this  would  not  be  so.  In  the  use  of 
a  different  syllable  they  have  hit  upon  the 
secret  path  to  right  placement;  for,  as  has  been 
shown,  some  syllables  can  be  produced  only  in 
the  right  place,  i.  e.,  on  the  lips.  If  such  a 
syllable  is  used  over  the  entire  range  of  the 
voice  up  and  down  scale  there  will  be  no 
change. 

They  have  never  made  a  greater  mistake 
than  to  look  upon  the  production  of  tone  as 
resulting  from  different  "registers."  The 
muscles  of  the  lips,  as  is  proven  by  giving  them 
a  syllable  they  can  easily  vocalize,  simply 
lacked  the  dexterity  necessary  to  change  the 
vibration  sent  to  them  into  a  tonal  wave. 
They  may  have  used  a  syllable  which  they 
formed  on  the  throat  or  in  the  head.  They 
may  have  lacked  the  power  to  vibrate  their 

71 


breath  sufficiently  in  order  to  send  the  vibra- 
tions to  their  proper  place  upon  the  lips  there 
to  be  changed  and  formed  into  beautiful 
tonal  waves.  For  these  reasons  they  excuse 
themselves  and  blame  Nature  for  having  given 
them  such  an  intricate  construction  wherewith 
to  produce  sound.  They  did  not  stop  to  con- 
sider that  because  they  could  not  immediately 
form  such  tonal  waves  as  their  imagination 
calls  for,  that  it  was  not  the  fault  of  the  struc- 
ture, but  the  fault  of  their  analysis  of  tone 
which  tells  them  that  the  easiest  tone  to  pro- 
duce is  the  one  created  on  the  lips. 

Because  they  could  create  tone  in  some  other 
way,  perhaps  forming  the  tone  wave  some- 
where in  the  throat  or  in  the  head,  they 
thought  that  it  was  quite  necessary  to  twist  the 
throat  into  certain  shapes  in  order  to  get  tone, 
and  neglected  entirely  the  pliable  muscles  of 
the  lips. 

If  we  produce  the  sound  nearest  the  ele- 
ment we  will  make  a  very  sharp  "ee"  sound. 
This  "ee"  sound  with  the  aid  of  the  consonant 
P  is  at  first  the  easiest  sound  that  can  be 
created  on  the  lips.  When  we,  therefore,  bring 
the  vibration  that  is  to  be  formed  into  a  tonal 
wave  upon  the  lips  with  the  snap  of  the  con- 
sonant P  and  shut  down  the  muscles  of  the  lips 
so  that  they  form  a  very  sharp  "ee,"  a  tone 
wave  will  result  that  we  can  create  without  a 

72 


"break"  on  every  tone  step  of  the  whole  range 
as  far  up  and  down  as  we  can  go.  Probably 
the  very  first  hours'  practice  will  demonstrate 
the  truth  of  this  fact. 

It  is  our  object  to  train  our  lips  and  our 
ears  for  the  creation  of  the  most  beautiful 
tones.  The  bell-like  quality  will  be  easiest 
at  first  for  the  lips  to  form  upon  notes 
from  E  on  the  staff  to  middle  C  for  the 
contralto,  bass  and  baritone,  and  for  the 
soprano  and  tenor  from  G  below  middle  C  to 
F  above  middle  C.  For  the  formation  of 
these  tones  the  lips  should  be  exercised  and 
the  discriminatory  powers  of  the  ear  culti- 
vated. The  individuality  of  the  voice,  as  it  is 
called,  is  nothing  more  or  less  than  the  fervor 
which  the  individual  himself  longs  to  express. 
The  muscles  of  our  bodies  will  respond  more 
or  less  readily  to  express  any  mood  of  our 
minds.  Our  muscles  will  answer  the  more 
dexterously  and  express  in  action  the  more 
readily  and  perfectly  the  feeling  and  thought 
we  desire  to  express,  the  more  training  and 
practice  we  give  them  to  strengthen  their  easy 
and  free  yet  forceful  action. 

In  order  to  form  beautiful  sound  waves  the 
vibrators,  with  which  we  produce  the  vibra- 
tions, and  the  muscles  of  the  lips,  with  which 
we  give  the  vibrations  their  tonal  forms,  need 
much  practice.  There  is  one  thing  that  after  all 

73 


will  control  completely  and  entirely  the  degree 
of  beauty  that  we  gain — that  controlling  power 
is  the  ear.  If  we,  in  the  sensing  of  sound  vibra- 
tions, lack  the  discriminating  power  of  separat- 
ing the  beautiful  or  the  musical  from  the  not 
beautiful  or  unmusical,  we  lack  that  brain 
power,  or  cultivation  of  that  brain  power, 
which  is  an  absolute  necessity  in  the  vocal  art. 
The  ear,  then,  controls  and  the  ear,  therefore, 
above  all,  must  be  cultivated  and  its  power  for 
discriminating  sound  must  be  increased.  With- 
out this  the  tonal  imagination  is  nil.  That 
formation  of  tone  which  to  the  ear  expresses 
the  individual  longing  and  desire  is  the  one  to 
assimilate  and  to  develop.  We  must  take  into 
consideration  also  the  power  of  producing 
vibrations  that  are  to  be  formed  into  tones.  If 
we  are  able  to  produce  big,  rich  tones  on  a  few 
notes  of  the  scale,  we  should  train  our  lips  and 
develop  our  power  for  producing  the  big  vibra- 
tions which  are  necessary  for  the  forming  of 
tones  from  the  lowest  to  the  highest  note  of 
our  range. 

By  this,  then,  may  we  more  clearly  under- 
stand what  assimilation  means.  We  learn  to 
know,  first,  the  size  of  the  vibrations  that  we 
are  able  to  produce  as  is  shown  by  the  tone 
waves  formed  of  them ;  secondly,  the  dexterity 
with  which  the  lips  make  use  of  the  vibrations; 
third,  the  power  of  the  ear  to  discriminate; 


fourth,  the  feeling  and  thought  we  long  to 
express  as  controlled  by  the  directing  power 
of  the  soul  and  mind. 

We  should  express  ourselves  in  that  tonal 
form  which  gives  us  the  greatest  possibilities 
of  giving  out  the  thoughts  and  desires  that  are 
deepest  in  us  and  which  go  to  build  our  con- 
ception of  the  things  that  make  up  life.  If  we 
cultivate  this  tone  form  we  will  train  our  ear 
and  assimilate  in  our  aural  memory  that 
degree  of  timbre  and  that  quality  which  ex- 
presses our  individual  character  as  only  a  thor- 
oly  assimilated  voice  can  express  it  on  every 
note  of  the  scale  that  lies  within  its  range. 


75 


Crescendo  and  Diminuendo 

The  crescendo  and  diminuendo  of  a  tone 
should  not  be  attempted  until  the  sotto  voce 
comes  easily.  The  diminishing  of  a  tone  is 
something  that  is  acquired  gradually.  It 
should  be  cultivated  thruout  all  the  exercises 
in  the  degree  that  the  tone  should  be  allowed 
to  finish  easily  and  naturally.  The  student 
will  very  soon  appreciate  this  artistic  idea. 

In  diminishing  a  forte  tone  into  the  mezza 
voce  by  decreasing  the  intensity  so  that  the 
farthest  listener  can  just  hear  clearly  the  full, 
round  sound,  the  tone,  if  .still  further  dimin- 
ished, must  begin  to  pass  into  the  sotto  voce. 
The  intensity  of  tone  and  the  fullness  of 
tone  are  two  different  things.  The  life,  or 
amplitude,  of  a  sound  wave  depends  on  the 
intensity  with  which  the  sound  is  created. 
The  fullness  of  a  sound  wave  depends  on  the 
form.  The  intensity  gives  the  sound  wave 
power  to  reach  the  listener.  The  greater  or 
less  fullness  of  a  wave  form  gives  the  wave  a 
bigger  or  finer  structure.  A  very  fine  spin- 
ning tone  on  the  lips  may  have  the  same 
intensity  that  is  given  to  a  full,  round  sound. 

77 


These  two,  then,  have  the  same  intensity  but 
differ  in  fullness.  The  fine,  thin  sound,  how- 
ever, altho  it  has  the  same  intensity  as  a  mezza 
voce  tone,  is  not  accepted  by  the  ear  as  a  mezza 
voce  tone.  For  a  mezza  voce  tone  is  a  tone  in 
its  full,  round  form  with  an  intensity  just  great 
enough  to  make  it  heard  clearly  by  the  farthest 
listener.  In  the  mezza  voce  we  have  the  least 
loud  sound  of  the  full,  round  tone — in  the 
diminishing  of  the  sotto  voce  we  are  constantly 
approaching  closer  and  closer  to  the  element 
of  tone. 

When  the  intensity  is  lessened  more  and 
more  after  the  mezza  voce  tone  passes  into  the 
sotto  voce,  it  will  have  power  only  to  travel  a 
less  and  less  distance,  so  that  the  listeners 
farthest  away  will  soon  no  longer  hear  the 
sound.  Therefore,  in  order  to  have  a  dimin- 
ishing tone  heard  by  the  farthest  listener,  the 
intensity  of  the  tone  must  be  kept  sufficiently 
strong  to  create  a  wave  amplitude  that  will 
carry  the  sound  vibration  of  the  full,  rounded 
tone  of  the  mezza  voce  to  the  most  distant  part 
of  the  resonant  space.  By  bringing  the  lips 
closer  together,  however,  the  artist  can  make 
his  tones  less  full,  and,  hence,  diminish  them 
without  diminishing  the  intensity,  or  the  wave 
amplitude.  The  degree  of  loudness,  i-  e.,  in- 
tensity, must  always  be  in  proportion  to  the 
resonant  space.  By  bringing  the  lips  grad- 

78 


ually  closer  together,  the  tone  can  be  dimin- 
ished to  the  very  last  thread  of  its  fineness.  If 
the  lips  are  kept  open  as  they  are  for  a  full, 
round  tone,  the  sound,  after  it  has  passed  from 
the  mezza  voce  into  the  sotto  voce,  with  the 
lips  still  in  the  same  open  position,  will  no 
longer  be  audible  to  the  listeners  farther  away, 
and  finally  will  be  lost  even  to  those  nearest 
the  singer.  The  singer,  when  he  keeps  his  lips 
open,  diminishes  only  the  intensity  and  not 
the  fullness  of  the  tone.  To  diminish  the 
intensity  of  a  forte  tone  into  a  mezza  voce  is 
well  and  good  as  long  as  the  tone  in  the  mezza 
voce  can  be  heard  by  the  farthest  listener— but 
when  the  artist  passes  from  the  mezza  voce 
into  the  sotto  voce,  the  intensity  may  no 
longer  be  diminished;  for  if  the  intensity,  or 
wave  amplitude,  is  diminished,  the  tone  will 
die  out  before  it  reaches  the  most  distant  lis- 
tener. A  spinning  tone  is  a  very  fine  tone  and 
is  made  with  the  lips  close  together.  In  order 
to  diminish  a  mezza  voce  tone  gradually  into 
the  finest  of  spinning  tones,  the  lips  must  be 
brought  dexterously  closer  and  closer — this 
lessens  the  fulness  of  the  tone  more  and  more 
until  it  finally  reaches  the  last  thread  of  its 
sound. 

The  crescendo  and  diminuendo  should  be 
practiced  on  the  tones  which  can  be  created 

79 


most  easily  on  the  lips.  Not  until  the  cres- 
cendo and  diminuendo  can  be  accomplished  on 
these  notes  should  the  student  try  to  do  the 
same  on  the  higher  and  lower  ones,  else  he 
will  be  apt  to  misplace  them.  A  crescendo  or 
diminuendo,  or  both,  should  be  used  to  a 
greater  or  less  degree  on  the  same  tone  and 
surely  in  successive  tones  in  the  same  rythmic 
beat.  Especially  in  dramatic  work  should  this 
crescendo  and  diminuendo  be  felt  very  strong- 
ly. This  must  be  left  to  the  development  of 
the  artistic  comprehension  of  the  student. 
Crescendo  and  diminuendo  must  not  be  con- 
fused with  vibrato.  Even  tho  tones  are  ex- 
pressed very  dramatically  with  close  vibrato 
it  does  not  say  that  there  may  be  no  crescendo 
and  diminuendo.  The  vibrato  belongs  to  the 
body  and  form  of  the  wave.  The  vibrato  is  the 
constant  increase  and  decrease  of  amplitude 
or  intensity  in  one  wave  —  the  crescendo  and 
diminuendo  is  an  increase  and  decrease  in  am- 
plitude or  intensity  of  successive  waves.  The 
crescendo  and  diminuendo  in  its  greatest  form 
passes  from  the  finest  tone  to  the  roundest, 
fullest  sound  and  back  again  into  the  fine, 
thread-like  tone. 

In  the  stolid  work,  where  the  notes  are 
held  a  long  time  and  are  given  with  great  in- 
tensity, the  beginner  will  find  that  he  can 
vocalize  every  particle  of  breath  and  increase 

80 


the  duration  of  his  tone  by  bringing  the  lips 
closer  together  as  his  breath  gives  out.  Final- 
ly, of  course,  there  is  never  any  want  for 
breath,  for  a  little  breath,  if  vocalized,  makes  a 
tone  of  very  long  duration.  It  is  not  in  reality 
a  question  of  breath  capacity,  but  it  is  a  ques- 
tion of  vocalizing  breath.  There  is  really  no 
control  of  breath,  for  if  the  syllables  are  pro- 
duced on  the  lips,  the  breath  cannot  help  but 
be  vocalized. 

The  composer  must  leave  to  the  imagination 
of  the  artist  the  use  of  the  crescendo  and 
diminuendo  in  the  interpretation  of  the  vocal 
setting.  In  order  to  properly  express  the 
emotions  the  singer  must  increase  and  dimin- 
ish his  tones,  for  in  this  he  will  find  one  of  the 
greatest  aids  to  interpretation  and  dramatic 
effect. 


81 


Vibrato 

Among  the  surprises  that  are  in  store  for  the 
beginner  is  one  that  makes  itself  manifest  very 
early  in  the  training.  This  phenomenon,  which 
is  supposed  to  come  only  to  those  who  have 
worked  long  and  arduously,  or  which  is  ac- 
corded as  a  gift  to  the  few,  comes  as  a  natural 
result  of  creating  the  tonal  waves  freely  and 
unimpeded.  Vibrato,  then,  is  the  natural  re- 
sult of  free  and  unimpeded  vibration,  whether 
in  the  lyric  or  dramatic  voice.  Tonal  waves 
created  by  the  muscles  of  the  lips  have,  there- 
fore, a  vibrato.  By  vibrato  in  the  lyric  voice 
is  meant  that  the  vibration  of  tone  has  an  even 
swing,  whereas  in  the  dramatic  expression  the 
sound  constantly  has  a  tendency  to  become 
more  or  less  intense  as  surplus  energy  is 
crowded  into  or  taken  away  from  the  body  of 
the  sound  wave.  Vibrato  is  a  constant  cres- 
cendo and  diminuendo  during  the  life  of  each 
wave. 


83 


Portamento 

Portamento  should  in  every  case  be  avoided, 
indeed,  should  never  be  used,  because  it  de- 
stroys both  the  beauty  of  the  tone  you  start 
from  and  the  one  you  reach  for.  To  slide  from 
one  tone  to  another  gives  an  uncertainty  of 
pitch.  Tones  should  always  be  created  sep- 
arately and  distinctly,  no  matter  how  finely 
they  may  be  brought  into  the  sotto  voce  or 
how  legato  they  may  be  sung.  Legato  in  all 
its  forms  is  best. 

Coloratura 

Coloratura  must  be  acquired  by  hard  work. 
The  great  trouble  with  students  in  general  is 
that  they  want  to  play  with  tones  too  soon. 
Before  the  student  goes  on  to  coloratura  he 
must  learn  to  do  scales.  But  he  must  also 
work  his  way  to  the  scales.  Garcia  says, 
"Those  who  wish  to  sing  scales  or  other  pas- 
sages without  having  begun  on  two,  three  or 
four  notes,  risk  failing  to  execute  roulades.'" 
In  order  to  acquire  facility  in  running  the 
scales  the  student  must  begin  on  one,  then  on 
two  and  then  on  five  notes  as  given  in  the  first 
three  exercises  of  the  Elementary  exercise 
book.  One  of  the  worst  things  that  a  pupil  can 

85 


do  is  to  sing  a  scale  with  long  holds,  for  he  loses 
his  flexibility  in  thinking  of  the  holds.  Flexi- 
bility gives  agility.  If  the  student's  tone  pro- 
duction is  not  flexible  he  cannot  give  a  rapidity 
of  tones  in  succession.  The  golden  rule  for  the 
correct  intonation  and  clean-cut  production  of 
every  note  of  a  scale  is  to  accent  the  second 
note  going  up  and  the  second  note  coming 
down.  Exercises  for  scale  practice  should  be 
followed  out  as  given  with  the  directions  in  the 
Intermediary  exercise  book.  Coloratura  ex- 
ercises proper  and  directions  for  the  same  are 
given  in  the  Advanced  exercise  book  with  the 
aid  of  the  syllables  Yee,  Yu  and  Yo.  The 
student  should  remember  not  to  sing  color- 
atura below  mezza  voce  at  first. 

Imitation  aids  but  little  in  the  acquirement 
of  coloratura,  yet  hearing  it  well  executed  will 
help  the  tonal  imagination,  thru  the  tonal 
memory,  to  build  beautiful  coloratura  ideals. 


Sotto  Voce 

The  sotto  voce  is  the  last  part  of  the  art. 
Few,  if  any,  have  completely  mastered  it. 
Sotto  voce  work  should  not  be  attempted 
unless  the  tones  can  be  produced  upon  the 
lips.  If,  instead,  they  are  crowded  into  the 
nasal  cavines,  they  will  lack  both  the  carrying 
power  and  the  sweetness  which  they  havewhen 
produced  upon  the  outer  edge  of  the  lips. 
Worst  of  all,  a  tone  forced  up  thru  the  nasal 
cavines  will  almost  invariably  be  off  pitch. 
This  fact  is  unconsciously  demonstrated  by 
some  of  our  most  famous  singers.  The  finest 
of  sotto  voce  tones  upon  the  lips  has  what  a 
humming  tone  has  not,  that  is,  body,  clearness 
and  sweetness,  and  the  finer  its  fineness  the 
more  elemental  is  its  character.  Unless  a 
fine  sotto  voce  tone  is  keenly  elemental  it  will 
not  reach  the  listener;  for  as  all  tone  finds  its 
beginning  in  the  elemental  sound,  it  finds  there 
also  its  end. 

By  a  forte  tone  is  meant  a  tone  of  very  great 
intensity.  A  dramatic  singer,  when  he  wishes 
to  startle  his  hearers,  makes  a  tone  that  re- 
echoes in  the  resonant  space.  In  the  mezza 

87 


voce  the  intensity  of  tone  should  be  such  that 
the  tone  carries  distinctly  to  the  last  listener. 
The  degrees  of  intensity  between  the  forte  and 
the  mezza  voce  are  at  the  artistic  command  of 
the  ear.  But  too  much  of  the  over-intensity 
destroys  musical  contrast. 

When  we  speak  of  sotto  voce  we  must 
realize  that  it  is  a  tone  that  must  be  heard 
thruout  its  whole  existence  so  that  not  even 
the  finest  of  its  diminuendo  is  lost  to  any  of  the 
audience.  In  order  to  make  the  mezza  voce 
distinct,  it  need  not,  nor  should  it  have,  intens- 
ity to  a  greater  degree  than  is  necessary  to 
make  it  perfectly  audible  to  the  most  distant 
listener.  Even  the  narrative  style,  which  is 
expressed  by  the  mezza.  voce  tone,  may  be 
swelled  and  diminished  a  trifle  for  the  sake 
of  rhythm  or  for  artistic  effect  by  contrast.  A 
mezza.  voce  tone,  we  see,  has  its  minimum  of 
intensity  in  the  intensity  that  is  necessary  to 
just  carry  it  to  the  other  end  of  the  resonant 
space.  The  sotto  voce  tone  also,  in  order  to 
be  heard  by  those  farthest  away,  must  be  given 
with  the  intensity  that  will  carry  it  to  the  most 
distant  listener.  According  to  ,  intensity, 
therefore,  the  mezza  voce  and  sotto  voce  are 
apparently  one  and  the  same  tone.  But  this 
is  not  so. 

The  intensity  of  tone  is  one  thing  and  has 
its  limitation  in  the  farthest  listener.  The  full- 

88 


ness,  or  bigness,  of  tone,  however,  is  another 
thing  and  has  its  limitation  in  the  finest  of 
thread-like  tones.  We  must  consider,  there- 
fore, in  the  diminishing  of  the  sotto  voce,  since 
the  intensity  in  the  sotto  voce  must  always 
remain  the  same,  the  bigness  of  the  tone. 
Now  a  full  tone  is  created  with  the  lips  far 
apart.  The  larger  the  opening  of  the  lips,  the 
fuller  should  the  tone  be  that  is  created  by 
them.  This  is  shown  when  we  call  thru  mega- 
phones, the  ends  of  which  vary  in  size.  The 
same  is  illustrated  when  we  fit  a  horn  with  a 
larger  aperture  to  the  phonograph.  The 
sound  produced  is  fuller.  The  same  proves 
true  with  the  production  of  tone  on  the  lips. 
The  larger  the  aperture  made  with  the  lips,  the 
fuller  will  be  the  tone  created. 

The  intensity  of  a  tone  has  its  limitation  as 
soon  as  the  listener  farthest  away  loses  the 
sound.  A  big  tone,  therefore,  i.  e.,  a  full  tone, 
will  remain  full  and  big  as  long  as  the  lips 
retain  the  same  sized  aperture  that  they  make 
when  the  tone  is  given  either  in  forte  or  mezza 
voce.  But  a  big  tone  may  be  diminished  and 
the  intensity  remain  to  such  a  degree  that  the 
listener  farthest  away  may  hear  it  in  the  finest 
of  its  forms.  This  refining  of  tone  in  the  sotto 
voce  can  be  dexterously  brought  about  by 
bringing  the  lips  closer  and  closer  together 
until  the  tone  is  finally  but  a  mere  thread,  tho 

£0 


audible  in  the  farthest  corner  of  the  resonant 
space. 

By  holding  the  tone  persistently  forward  it 
can  be  continued  almost  to  any  length  without 
tiring,  and  without  the  least  breakage,  so  that 
it  makes  the  singer  wonder  from  where  he  gets 
the  breath.  The  truth  of  the  matter  is  that  he 
vocalizes  every  particle  of  breath  he  uses,  and 
the  amount  he  uses  is  infinitesimally  small.  It 
takes  but  little  breath  to  make  a  round,  power- 
ful tone  when  the  breath  is  properly  vocalized. 

A  sotto  voce  and  mezza  voce  tone  travel  with 
the  same  velocity  as  a  loud  tone.  That  is 
proven  when  we  hear  parts  of  an  orchestra 
playing  loudly  and  softly  at  the  same  time. 
The  amplitude  of  every  sound  wave  deter- 
mines the  intensity  of  the  sound.  We  must 
take  into  consideration  that  with  the  change  of 
amplitude,  and,  hence,  the  intensity  of  the 
sound  wave,  the  sound  will  be  carried  to  a  less 
distance  than  a  sound  made  by  a  wave  of 
greater  amplitude.  Therefore,  if  we  produce 
a  loud  tone  and  gradually  diminish  it,  the  tone 
will  lose  in  carrying  power  as  the  amplitude  is 
allowed  to  decrease,  which,  of  course,  will 
cause  this  tone  to  be  heard  at  a  less  distance. 

Therefore,  it  is  not  only  the  giving  of  less 
and  less  bigness  to  tone  that  we  must  consider, 
but  in  diminishing  the  tone  from  the  mezza. 

90 


voce  into  the  sotto  voce  to  keep,  the  intensity, 
or  carrying  power  the  same. 

If  we  form  our  lips  to  whistle  we  will  find 
that  we  make  a  very  small  aperture,  and  if  we 
open  our  lips  widely  the  sound  will  cease, 
whereas  if  we  close  our  lips  more  and  more  the 
whistle  is  still  produced,  which,  tho  smaller,  is 
quite  as  intense  as  the  first  bigger  whistling 
tone.  The  amplitude  of  the  sound  waves  has 
remained  unchanged. 

The  same  is  true  of  tone  waves.  In  order  to 
diminish  a  tone  and  keep  the  intensity  the  same 
we  must  make  this  aperture  for  the  forming  of 
the  sound  waves  smaller  and  smaller,  i.  e.,  we 
must  bring  the  lips  closer  together.  The  closer 
the  lips  are  brought  together  the  more  will  the 
tone  be  diminished,  and  if  the  tone  is  dimin- 
ished into  its  last  thread,  that  thread  of  tone 
will  be  keen  and  very  near  the  sound  of  "ee." 
This  is  absolutely  true  if  the  tone  wave  is 
formed  out  of  the  vibration  thrown  upon  the 
lips.  For,  if  the  vibration  is  changed  into  sound 
wave  in  the  mouth,  the  lips  simply  closed  over 
it,  the  sound  will  be  deadened  and  not  dimin- 
ished, let  alone  the  lack  of  clearness,  unsteadi- 
ness of  pitch  and  lack  of  carrying  power  that 
ensues.  It  is  evident  that  in  deadening  a  tone 
the  carrying  power  or  intensity  is  deadened. 

In  the  finest  of  diminished  tones,  then,  we 
get  nearest  to  the  element  of  tone,  i.  e.,  we  find 

91 


the  sound  wave  that  will  have  an  amplitude 
which  will  be  heard  as  distinctly  as  a  big  tone. 
Even  the  finest  thread  of  a  tapering  sotto  voce 
tone  must  have  the  same  intensity  as  the  first 
part  of  the  sotto  voce  tone.  Diminishing  tones 
by  simply  lessening  the  intensity  of  tone  is  of 
use  only  within  a  very  limited  resonant  space. 
Sotto  voce  tones  made  without  intensity  in  a 
large  resonant  space  are  lost  to  the  audience. 
As  to  how  great  an  intensity  should  be  given  to 
a  sotto  voce  tone  in  proportion  to  the  size  of 
the  resonant  space,  must  be  left  to  the  judg- 
ment of  the  singer's  ear. 

If  the  student  practices  in  a  large  resonant 
space,  which  by  far  is  the  most  preferable,  he 
will  find  that  in  order  to  make  his  sotto  voce 
tones  reach  the  farthest  corner,  he  must  give 
them  intensity  to  a  degree  in  proportion  to  the 
space.  He  must  not  practice  the  sotto  voce 
with  so  little  intensity  that  it  will  not  be  heard 
at  the  farther  end.  Every  resonant  space 
should  be  carefully  judged  by  the  ear  in  order 
to  set  the  minimum  of  intensity.  A  smaller 
resonant  space  demands  but  little  intensity  as 
compared  to  a  large  resonant  space.  Too 
much  intensity  in  a  small  room  cannot  be 
appreciated  by  a  musical  ear — and  the  use  of 
it  shows  a  lack  of  artistic  judgment.  A  stu- 
dent may  find  that  in  a  small  resonant  space 
he  can  create  a  rounder,  fuller  wave  form — 

92 


but  to  an  artist,  whose  tones  fall  easily  from 
their  place  off  the  lips,  the  difference  in  loud- 
ness  of  tone  is  brought  about  by  a  difference 
of  intensity  in  proportion  to  the  resonant 
space — in  a  large  resonant  space  the  tones 
must  have  necessarily  greater  intensity  than 
in  a  small  resonant  space.  With  the  artist  the 
fullness  of  tone  remains  the  same  in  forte  and 
mezza  voce — the  intensity  of  tone  remains  the 
same  thruout  all  the  forms  of  the  sotto  voce, 
and  is  just  equivalent  to  the  minimum  intens- 
ity of  the  mezza  voce.  The  more  the  power 
of  creating  tone  is  developed,  the  fuller  the 
tone  that  a  singer  can  produce  in  proportion 
to  the  intensity  of  the  tone. 

The  diminishing  of  a  sotto  voce  tone  is 
brought  about  by  moving  the  lips  closer  to- 
gether. In  the  finest  forms  of  the  sotto  voce 
the  lips  are  apparently  closed  to  an  observer. 
The  crescendo  and  diminuendo  of  the  sotto 
voce  is  made  by  slightly  increasing  and  dimin- 
ishing the  aperture  made  by  the  lips.  It  must 
be  remembered  here  that  the  least  amount  of 
intensity  that  may  be  given  a  sotto  voce  tone 
is  the  intensity  necessary  to  make  the  tone  just 
reach  the  most  distant  listener.  The  amount 
of  intensity,  therefore,  that  should  be  given  to 
the  interpretation  of  the  different  notes  of  a 
song  is  always  a  matter  of  the  best  artistic 
judgment.  Before  a  student  may  begin  the 

93 


practice  of  spinning  his  tones  with  hope  of  any 
degree  of  success,  he  must  be  able  first  to  create 
powerful  tones  upon  the  lips.  As  in  all  things, 
so  in  the  vocal  art,  the  first  requisite  is  power. 
Without  tonal  power,  dexterity  and  agility  for 
producing  notes  in  rapid  succession  is  impos- 
sible. Tones  must  be  heard  else  they  are  of 
no  use  no  matter  how  dexterously  they  are 
produced. 

The  syllable  Pee  has  been  found  most 
efficient  for  acquiring  the  sotto  voce.  The 
sound  at  first  should  be  made  very  keen  in  pro- 
portion to  the  resonant  space  in  which  the  stu- 
dent practices.  The  lips  should  be  very  nearly 
closed.  When  the  Pee  can  be  rounded  and 
held  successfully  without  the  least  breakage, 
the  syllable  Yee  and  then  the  syllable  Yu  may 
be  used  in  turn.  In  order  to  aid  the  sotto  voce 
to  hold  its  place  upon  the  lips,  swell  the  tone  a 
little  and  diminish  it  as  gradually  two  or  three 
times  on  one  note  opening  and  closing  the  lips 
a  trifle.  If  this  does  not  aid  sufficiently  the 
student  should  seek  to  make  his  tones  keener 
and  sharper,  i.  e.,  give  them  greater  intensity. 

Sotto  voce  should  first  be  practiced  on  the 
repetition  of  single  notes  as  given  in  the  ex- 
ercises. Later,  it  should  be  intermingled  with 
the  stolid  work. 

A  beginner  is  apt  to  find  that  he  cannot  hold 
his  sotto  voce  tones  a  very  long  time.  This 

94 


results  because  he  does  not  vocalize  the  breath. 
If  he  keeps  his  lips  closely  together  and  pro- 
duces the  syllable  Pee  very  sharply  and  keen- 
ly, he  will  soon  be  able  to  vocalize  his  breath 
more  and,  consequently,  produce  a  tone  of 
longer  duration.  When  the  breath  can  be 
vocalized  and  the  tone  can  be  made  of  long 
duration,  the  sotto  voce  can  be  diminished  to  a 
thin,  thread-like  fineness  by  simply  bringing 
the  lips  closer  and  closer  together.  The  best 
results  with  sotto  voce  can  be  attained  when 
practiced  at  the  end  of  the  lesson.  Sotto  voce 
with  all  voices  should  be  practiced  at  first  only 
on  the  five  or  six  notes  which  are  the  most 
easily  produced.  These  tones,  as  a  rule,  lie 
somewhere  in  the  middle  of  the  range. 

In  the  male  voice  the  sotto  voce  should  be 
the  natural  tone  and  not  the  falsette.  The 
sotto  voce  is  only  a  diminished  form  of  the 
loud  tone.  In  order  to  diminsh  a  loud  tone 
and  yet  retain  its  carrying  power,  the  lips 
must  gradually  be  brought  closer  and  closer 
together.  Since  the  sotto  voce  is  simply  a 
diminished  form  of  the  loud  tone,  it  should,  if 
swelled,  swell  easily  and  naturally  into  a  pow- 
erful one,  and  as  easily  diminish  again  into 
the  finest  of  fine  sounds.  If  the  male  voice  is 
allowed  to  pass  into  the  falsette  the  tones  will 
fly  from  their  place  on  the  lips  and  cause  a 
break.  By  making  the  sotto  voce  keen  and 

95 


elemental  as  it  diminishes,  there  will  follow  no 
click  nor  change  of  voice  into  the  falsette. 
Tenors,  especially  on  account  of  their  high 
range,  must  guard  against  this  change,  for  it 
destroys  both  beauty  and  sweetness. 

The  female  falsette  tone  is  a  very  thin  hum- 
ming tone  that  goes  up  into  the  nasal  cavines, 
and,  indeed,  some  authorities  contend  that 
there  is  no  female  falsette  voice.  It  is  so  weak, 
and  the  natural  tone  answers  so  clearly  and 
distinctly  that  the  falsette  of  the  female  voice 
causes  no  difficulty. 


96 


Trill. 

The  trill  is  the  rapid  alternating  on  two 
different  notes  of  the  scale.  When  it  is  correct 
the  two  notes  feel  to  the  singer  almost  like  one 
tone.  But  in  the  trill  the  two  notes  must  stand 
out  separately  and  distinctly,  yet  follow  each 
other  without  a  break  or  pause.  A  cultivation 
of  the  tremolo,  i.  e.,  the  shaking  of  the  voice  on 
one  note  should  be  avoided  —  this  is  the  result 
of  misplacement. 

With  the  light  voices  it  will  be  noticed  that 
the  trill  comes  easier  as  a  rule.  This  is  not 
hard  to  explain.  The  larger  the  wave  form 
created,  the  harder  it  is  to  make  two  wave 
forms  follow  one  another  in  quick  succession. 
The  breath  is  vibrated  and  the  larynx  shakes 
the  vibrations  that  are  thrown  to  the  lips  to  be 
formed  into  tone.  It  is  much  harder  for  the 
larynx  to  shake  a  big  vibration  than  a  small 
one.  Some  may  say,  "Then  the  wave  has  form 
in  the  throat?"  Yes,  but  not  vocal  form,  or 
at  least  it  should  not  have  vocal  form  until  the 
lips  have  given  it  the  vocal  form.  The  lips  are 
the  vocalizers. 

The  first  exercise  for  making  the  trill  is  to 

97 


produce  two  tones  slowly  and  decisively  one 
after  the  other  with  the  syllable  Pee.  The  top 
note  should  be  accented  and  on  every  repeti- 
tion should  feel  as  tho  produced  farther  for- 
ward on  the  lips  than  the  preceding  tone.  At 
first  the  two  notes  should  be  sung  with  a  great 
deal  of  intensity.  One  note  should  be  made  to 
follow  quickly  upon  the  other  and  the  speed 
constantly  increased.  But  the  tones  must  ever 
be  kept  decisive  and  without  a  tremble.  As 
the  speed  increases  the  intensity  should  be 
moderated.  We  begin  with  intensity  in  order 
to  make  the  two  tones  separate  and  distinct. 
As  soon  as  the  tones  can  be  produced  in  quick 
succession,  the  consonant  P  of  the  syllable  Pee 
must  be  dropped,  as  the  P  is  only  an  aid  to 
keep  the  production  of  tone  on  the  lips.  Be- 
ginning slowly  at  first  with  Pee-Pee-Pee-Pee 
and  as  the  succession  of  tones  comes  nearer 
the  trill,  drop  the  consonant  P  and  complete 
the  exercise  with  the  "ee."  The  larynx  be- 
comes so  flexible  that  it  takes  up  the  movement 
of  its  own  accord.  It  must  be  remembered 
that  every  tone  should  be  produced  on  the 
outer  edge  of  the  lips  thruout  the  exercises,  so 
that  when  the  trill  becomes  a  reality  the  tones 
will  be  clear,  distinct  and  free  from  all  tremolo. 
If  the  larynx  at  any  time  becomes  stiff,  a 
little  increase  and  decrease  in  intensity  will  aid 
to  set  it  in  motion  again  and  to  keep  the  tone 

98 


on  the  lips.  The  student,  too,  can  always  re- 
turn to  the  first  part  of  the  training  and  pro- 
duce the  two  tones  slowly  and  decisively. 

The  beginner  must  not  be  discouraged  if, 
during  the  first  week's  practice,  he  finds  the 
top  note  falling  a  little  short  of  pitch.  This 
simply  shows  that  he  does  not  get  the  upper 
tones  of  the  trill  far  enough  forward.  Again, 
the  two  tones  may  become  blurred.  A  little 
slower  practice  will  right  the  difficulty  almost 
at  once.  The  two  tones  of  a  trill  must  always 
be  distinct,  separate  and  without  tremolo.  The 
trill  must  at  first  be  practiced  within  the  octave 
that  is  easiest  in  the  range  of  the  voice.  Sotto 
voce  work  and  trill  work  must  be  kept  apart 
until  both  come  easily  from  the  lips.  If  the 
sotto  voce  and  trill  are  taken  up  at  the  same 
time,  it  is  wise  to  practice  them  in  alternate 
lessons. 

The  crescendo  and  diminuendo  of  the  trill 
should  be  attempted  only  after  it  can  be  made 
with  a  great  degree  of  dexterity.  By  crescendo 
and  diminuendo  is  not  meant  from  the  least 
to  the  loudest  tone  that  can  be  produced,  but 
such  intensity  as  is  judged  by  the  ear  to  be 
in  proportion  to  the  resonant  space.  Swelling 
the  trill  and  bringing  it  back  again  into  the 
finest  of  sotto  voce  is  a  bit  of  art  that  can  only 
be  acquired  after  long  and  concentrated  prac- 
tice. The  question  as  to  how  much  intensity 

99 


must  be  given  to  the  sotto  voce  of  the  trill 
again  becomes  a  matter  of  best  artistic  judg- 
ment. It  should  be  remembered  that  the 
minimum  of  intensity  in  large  halls  is  very 
small.  Many  degrees  of  greatness  or  fineness 
of  tone  from  the  mezza  voce  to  the  last  of  the 
sotto  voce  can  be  expressed  by  opening  or 
closing  the  lips. 


100 


Wordal   Placement 

The  human  voice,  if  properly  trained,  has 
possibilities  for  sound  production  that  place 
it  far  beyond  any  mechanism  for  creating 
musical  tone.  The  production  of  human  tone 
will  always  remain  the  finest  of  expressions. 
In  its  form  alone  it  speaks  to  its  auditors  thru 
the  feeling  that  it  conveys.  Besides  the  human 
quality,  however,  it  possesses  the  power  to  in- 
fluence the  intellect.  In  grouping  sounds  of 
different  duration  in  a  series  of  shadings  the 
voice  transfers  the  thought  from  one  intellect 
to  another.  Every  sound  of  the  alphabet  is  a 
shading  of  the  element  of  tone  in  a  more  or  less 
rounded  form — from  the  keenest  "e"  sound  to 
the  fullest,  roundest  sound  of  "o."  These 
groups  of  tone  shadings  which  are  known  as 
words,  must  not  only  be  clear  and  distinct  in 
themselves  but  also  cleanly-cut  and  separate  in 
each  of  the  groupings  that  is  part  of  a  word. 
Not  only  pronunciation  but  also  articulation  is 
necessary  for  effective  conveyance  of  feeling 
and  translation  of  thought. 

In  the  decisive  differentiation  of  each  tone 
shading,  we  have  articulation.  But  before  a 

101 


student  can  articulate  clearly  he  must  learn  to 
understand  tone-form  and  how  to  create  it. 
Correct  and  clear  pronunciation  in  turn  de- 
mands clear  and  distinct  articulation — clear 
and  distinct  but  not  disjointed.  The  correct 
pronunciation  of  the  Italian  language  has 
made  many  fine  singers  in  Italy.  It  carries 
with  it  a  correct  placement  of  tone  which 
comes  thru  the  peculiar  combinations  of  con- 
sonants and  vowels  and  again  of  syllables  that 
force  the  lips  to  do  their  duty  in  expression. 
When,  however,  we  try  to  translate  the  nat- 
ural fluency  of  the  Italian  to  the  English 
tongue  it  is  found  that  many  difficulties 
arise  from  the  peculiar  construction  of  the 
English  words  that  is  so  different  from  the 
Italian.  In  the  Italian  the  syllables  are  so 
combined  that  the  consonants  of  one  syllable 
always  place  the  vowels  of  the  next.  This  in 
turn  habituates  .the  correct  expression  so  that 
it  is  never  lost  even  when  the  open  vowel 
sounds  are  made  to  follow  one  another. 

From  this  example  we  get  the  idea  of  what 
will  give  correct  placement.  Certain  syllables 
formed  by  a  consonant  and  a  vowel  will  force 
the  lips  to  vocalize  the  breath.  For  as  we  have 
vseen  there  are  certain  syllables  that  can  be 
created  only  on  the  lips  and  with  only  a  certain 
amount  of  vocalized  breath.  Following  out 
the  order  of  consonants  and  combining  with 

102 


them  the  vowel  sound  to  which  the  consonants 
first  lead,  and  then  developing  the  gradual 
shading  and  rounding  of  the  vowel  from  its 
thinnest  and  keenest  sound  "ee"  to  the  full, 
rounded  "o,"  we  find  that  the  consonants  lead 
the  vowels  to  their  true  sounds.  So,  even  when 
a  word  does  not  begin  with  a  consonant,  by 
placing  before  it  an  inaudible  consonant  the 
vowel  is  perforce  placed  upon  the  lips.  For  ex- 
ample, the  word  earth  preceded  by  an  inaudi- 
ble "d"  [(d)  earth]  will  fall  clearly  and  dis- 
tinctly from  the  lips. 

In  order,  therefore,  to  educate  the  ear  to  the 
true  musical  sound  of  the  English  language  in 
song,  we  must  study  the  combinations  of  con- 
sonants with  the  vowel  sounds  from  the  keen- 
est to  the  roundest  form  in  succession.  The 
first  syllables  that  we  practice  are  the  Pee,  Cee 
and  Lee  as  already  explained.  Then,  the  syl- 
lables Fee,  Ghee,  Chee  and  Yee.  On  these 
follow  in  order  Yen,  Yu,  Yo,  Bo  and  Ro.  The 
first  grouping  of  sounds  and  shadings  are 
taken  up  in  the  combinations  of  these  syllables: 

Pee-yeu,  Pee-yu,  Pee-yo,  Pee-bo,  Pee-ro. 

Cee-yeu,  Cee-yu,  Cee-yo,  Cee-bo,  Cee-ro. 

Fee-yeu,  Fee-yu,  Fee-yo,  Fee-bo,  Fee-ro. 

Ghee-yeu,  Ghee-yu,  Ghee-yo,  Ghee-bo,  Ghee- 
ro. 

In  the  practice  of  these  combinations  of  dif- 
ferent shadings  the  lips  should  be  moved  not 

103 


only  in  and  out  but  also  up  and  down,  opening 
and  closing,  spreading  and  pursing  to  shape 
the  sounds  as  the  ear  calls  for  them.  In  order 
to  train  the  lip  muscles  further  and  habituate 
them  to  the  natural  response  at  sight  of  a  syl- 
lable that  is  to  be  transformed  into  a  tone,  the 
following  exercise  practiced  on  a  scale  will  be 
very  beneficial : 

Pee-Bee-Cee-Fee-Ghee-Yeu-Yu-Yo. 

With  the  very  first  syllables  we  have  in 
reality  learned  how  to  pronounce  correctly  the 
words,  Pea,  Bee,  See,  Fee,  Lee,  Ye,  You, 
Bow,  Row.  It  will  also  be  found  that  all 
words  shaded  but  slightly  from  these  will  place 
themselves  upon  the  lips  readily  with  but  little 
practice.  In  fact  words  of  one  syllable,  here- 
after, will  cause  no  difficulty  for  we  have  taken 
up  all  sound  from  its  keenest  to  its  roundest 
forms  as  expressed  by  the  English  language. 
We  must  then  train  the  ear  and  the  lips  to 
create  the  combinations  of  shadings  as  they 
follow  each  other  quickly  in  one  word,  and  to 
separate  these  combinations  from  those  in  a 
successive  word.  In  the  table  of  combinations 
we  have  taken  up  the  nearest  elemental  sound 
as  led  to  its  true  form  by  the  different  conso- 
nants that  encourage  lip  service,  and  the 
gradual  rounding  of  this  element  in  the  natural 
order. 

The  ear  by  this  time  has  learned  to  judge  to 

104 


what  shading  of  the  element  a  new  combina- 
tion of  consonants  and  vowels  belongs.  If  such 
a  combination  presents  a  difficulty  the  judg- 
ment of  the  student  should  decide  which  of  the 
placing  syllables,  that  he  has  learned  to  pro- 
duce, will  aid  his  lips  to  the  correct  creation  of 
the  new  tone  shading. 

In  order  to  aid  the  student  still  further  to 
overcome  unforeseen  difficulties  with  the  rarer 
and  more  awkward  combinations,  the  follow- 
ing explanation  of  the  characteristics  of  the 
placing  syllables  is  added.  He  will  find  that 
certain  syllables  will  aid  him  to  modify  or 
acquire  certain  qualities.  As  to  this  his  own 
ear  must  be  his  guide. 

Pee. 

The  syllable  Pee,  besides  being  the  most  ef- 
fective in  creating  the  element  of  tone  in  its 
less  rounded  form  upon  the  lips,  has  another 
characteristic  that  strongly  influences  the  tone. 
The  snap  of  the  consonant  P  gives  the  tone 
neither  a  hard  nor  a  too  soft  sound,  and  for 
that  reason,  as  experience  has  proven,  it  is  the 
easiest  consonant  to  pronounce  in  the  right 
place. 

Lee. 

The  L  in  Lee  gives  a  harder  sound  than  P. 
Lee  must  be  snapped  forward  with  vigor. 

105 


Cee. 

The  consonant  C  gives  the  tone  a  softer 
sound  than  Lee. 

Bee. 

The  consonant  B  acts  very  nearly  the  same 
as  P,  but  it  gives  the  tone  a  harder  sound  than 
the  consonant  P. 

Fee. 

The  consonant  F  forces  a  forward  placement 
by  pressing  the  under  lip  under  the  upper  teeth 
and  pressing  the  upper  lip  down  hard.  Those 
who  find  it  difficult  to  snap  the  P  will  thus  find 
it  impossible  to  enunciate  the  F  without  snap- 
ping it.  Fee  carries  with  it  a  rich  quality.  Its 
forceful  snap,  too,  will  clarify  tones  that  have 
become  puddingy. 

Dee. 

The  consonant  D  gives  the  tone  a  thinness 
and  proves  very  useful  when  the  tones  become 
thick.  It  forces  the  student  to  spread  his  lips 
at  every  repetition  and,  hence,  also  aids  flexi- 
bility. 

Chee. 

When  Chee  is  placed  before  a  vowel  or  a 
combination  of  a  vowel  and  consonant  it  en- 
riches the  body  of  a  sound.  Chee  gives  a  free- 
dom and  forces  the  lowering  of  the  under  jaw 

106 


when  it  is  placed  before  such  combinations  as 
are  apt  to  cloud  or  muffle. 

For  the  sake  of  analysing  a  word  we  take 
"pi-e-ta-(o),"  used  in  the  Advanced  exercise 
book.  In  the  Italian  "pi"  we  recognize  the 
Pee  sound;  in  the  "e"  we  recognize  Yeu 
rounded  more  to  the  Yu  sound;  in  the  "ta-(o)" 
(the  "o"  is  to  show  the  full,  round  sound  of  the 
"a")  the  sound  Yo  with  a  short  sound  of  "o" 
broadened  which  gives  the  Italian  "a."  The 
"o"  is  held  after  the  "ta"  in  the  exercise  for  the 
purpose  of  keeping  the  "a"  forward.  If  the 
student  finds  difficulty  in  placing  the  "ah" 
sound  on  the  lips,  let  him  first  use  "teu"  (the 
yeu  sound)  instead  of  "ta,"  i.  e.,  pi-e-teu-yu. 
After  the  "teu"  answers  readily,  use  "tyu-yo." 
From  the  "tyu-yo"  the  sound  "tyao"  can  be 
used  with  good  results. 

The  "ah"  sound,  so  commonly  used  in  sing- 
ing exercises  for  teaching  the  art  of  creating 
tone,  is  really  the  most  difficult  of  all  sound  to 
produce  upon  the  lips.  A  musical  "ah"  tone 
can  only  be  produced  after  all  the  other 
tones  come  naturally  and  easily  in  a  round, 
full  form.  It  may  account  somewhat  for  the 
misunderstanding  that  has  arisen  about  the 
general  use  of  "ah"  to  say  that  there  are  but 
few  who  know  its  proper  sound,  and  fewer 
who  know  how  to  create  it.  Suffice  it  to  say 
here  that  the  "ah"  is  a  sound  derivation  of  the 

107 


"o."  By  this  we  mean  the  not  quite  rounded 
form  of  "o,"  i.  e.,  just  a  step  beyond  the  "u" 
in  its  roundest,  fullest  form.  This,  of  course, 
is  a  very  close  boundary  line,  but  if  the  student 
keeps  in  mind  the  strength  of  the  element  of 
every  tone  and  combines  that  ringing,  silver 
sound  with  his  best  conception  of  the  "ah-(o)" 
he  will  not  fall  far  short  of  producing  a  musical 
tone.  For  a  more  minute  analysis  I  refer 
the  student  to  my  book  on  "Wordal  Place- 
ment." 

In  order  to  aid  to  a  clearer  and  more  dis- 
tinct pronunciation  of  words  of  more  than  one 
syllable  it  is  well  to  remember  the  following 
rules.  Whenever  a  short  vowel  is  followed  by 
a  single  consonant,  double  the  consonant  and 
pronounce  one  consonant  with  the  following 
syllable.  For  example: 

Forest  is  pronounced  for-rest. 
Lily  is  pronounced  lil-ly. 
Ever  is  pronounced  ev-ver. 
Never  is  pronounced  nev-ver. 
Bower  is  pronounced  bow-wer. 

If  the  first  vowel  is  long,  pronounce  the  con- 
sonant that  follows  with  the  succeeding  sylla- 
ble. For  example: 

Below  is  pronounced  be-low. 
Hero  is  pronounced  he-ro. 
Bridal  is  pronounced  bri-dal. 
Rival  is  pronounced  ri-val. 
Saviour  is  pronounced  sa-viour. 

108 


Each  syllable  of  a  word  should  be  given  a 
value  in  proportion  to  its  shading  and  dura- 
tion of  sound.  For  example,  in  the  pronuncia- 
tion of  the  word  "society"  the  "ety"  is  short 
and  abrupt.  If  the  "ety"  were  long  we  would 
put  greater  value  on  it.  But  as  it  is  not,  the 
"so"  receives  as  great  a  value  as  the  "ciety." 
The  entire  word  should  be  sung  in  an  even, 
rythmical  swing.  In  articulating  the  syllables 
of  a  word  clearly  and  distinctly  the  syllables 
should  never  be  disjointed,  altho  a  heavier 
shading  may  be  given  to  one  syllable  more 
than  to  the  other.  Every  word  should  be  a 
wave  of  rhythm  in  itself.  It  is  splendid  prac- 
tice for  wordal  placement  to  sing  words  singly 
or  in  groups  of  two  or  three  on  melodic  exer- 
cises. Where  a  word  or  combination  of  words 
in  a  song  are  especially  difficult,  repeating 
them  up  and  down  the  scales  will  aid  to  make 
their  placement  easy  and  secure.  For  this 
there  is  no  better  practice. 


109 


WORDAL  PLACEMENT 


CARL   PREETORIUS 


easy  and  distinct  articulation  and  for  the 
beautifying  of  words  in  ipeech  and  song,  the 
singer  or  speaker  will  find  this  book  an  invaluable 
instructor.  There  has  been  nothing  published  on 
the  correct  articulation  of  a  word  thru  the  right 
production  of  combinations  of  consonants  and 
vowels.  To  give  the  proper  shading  to  each 
syllable  is  a  matter  of  very  little  practice  and  yet 
of  greatest  artistic  importance.  The  correct  artic- 
ulation and  pronunciation  as  outlined  in  this  book 
will  bring  a  musical  quality  in  any  voice.  There  is 
no  need  of  singing  nor  speaking  affectedly,  but  there 
is  need  of  singing  and  speaking  words  correctly. 

Price,  11.25. 
Bound  in  cloth. 

Box  1 68,  EVANSTON,  ILL. 


Vocal  Exercises 

FOX 

Placing  and  Developing  the  Voice 

BY  CARL  PREETORIUS 
Elementary  Intermediary  Advanced 

SHOWING  the  application  of  the  principles 
of  placing  and  developing  the  tone  to  logic- 
ally arranged  studies. 

The  exercises  are  so  composed  that  the  inter- 
vals overcome  easily  and  naturally,  with  the  aid  of 
special  syllables,  all  the  difficulties  that  a  developing 
voice  may  encounter,  such  as :  lack  of  immediate 
response  of  tone ;  want  of  flexibility ;  shortness  of 
breath,  etc. 

These  exercises  are  pronounced  unusual  in 
their  practicability  and  melodic  form.  They  are 
unequalled  for  placing  the  tone. 

Elementary,  $1.25. 
Intermediary,  1.25. 
Advanced,  .  2.00. 
Bound  in  cloth. 

Box  168,  EVANSTON,  ILL. 


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